


Never Saw You Coming

by thejigsawtimess



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-07
Updated: 2013-01-07
Packaged: 2017-11-23 23:50:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 26,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/627893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thejigsawtimess/pseuds/thejigsawtimess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gabriel has just been thoroughly wrung out by the Winchesters and wants some revenge. Placing Dean and Castiel in a few awkward scenarios seems like a good place to start; after all you can cut the sexual tension between those two with a blunt spork. But that other Winchester doesn't seem to like that plan... say, when did he get so sexy anyway?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Saw You Coming

**Author's Note:**

> This is primarily a Sabriel story but has underlying Destiel themes. I hope you enjoy!

Castiel's steely gaze met Gabriel's as the younger Angel lingered at the warehouse door, turning once to look back over his cold shoulder at his older brother, encircled in the holy flames of an Angel trap like a dog in a cage, probably having shown the irksome Winchester boys how to pour the Jerusalem oil himself. The stare he gave Gabriel was stern, protective, a warning. But it was something else too; there was love there, buried underneath the chipped ice of Castiel's irises. Ancient love, old enough and deep enough that Gabriel could be sure it would never fade. They were family, brothers, their bond was as unbreakable as Sam and Dean's. He gave Castiel a mournful parting wink, letting the cascading water of the sprinkler pour down his face like mocking tears.

* * *

Later, Gabriel dried himself off with the help of a few eager young ladies, all too willing to shed the fluffy towels which preserved their modesty to give him comfort before he wearily snapped his fingers and they disappeared in puffs of smoke. As he ruffled the towel over his face and hair he had a chance to think over the events of the day properly.

Typically, for a millennia-old Archangel, one day was as inconsequential as a speck of dust floating across one's peripheral vision. Usually, there was nothing much that could be drastically altered in a mere 24 hours. Today however seemed to be a rare exception.

 _And wasn't it always when it came to the Chucklehead brothers?_  Gabriel mused as he took a sip of 1947 Merlot and stared out at the churning ocean.

Somehow, yet again those idiots had managed to twist his fun little game, and once more he had been forced to retreat here, to his secluded beach house in Hawaii (a place he had secured for himself decades ago, when deeds were easier to forge and accounts easier to hack), confronted with the same damn feelings he kept trying to bury under tom-foolery that, if you squinted, could actually be cold-blooded murder.

Michael and Lucifer. Those Bitches. So self-involved. It was always like that, even before the dramatic flinging Lucy out of Heaven fiasco. Sure, they could preach anyone's ears off about how much they _adored_ each other, and what they would do for one another, but it was Gabriel that would have to listen to the bickering, the constant tantrums thrown between them because they were made up of conflicting ideals. Daddy himself created them eons apart on the compatibility front. Gabriel sometimes wondered if God had intended for the inevitable fallout in the beginning.

The Archangel sighed. There was so much Gabriel had purposefully not been thinking about. He had been carefully avoiding the whole apocalypse-thing for a long time, and so far it had worked out nicely. In hindsight, it was probably his own fault, getting the Winchesters involved in his little tricks. He just couldn't resist when it came to those two.

Gabriel leaned against the railing of his balcony that looked out onto the stormy sea. His wineglass twirled in his fingers as he stared out, lips pursed in deep thought. Suddenly, his brow creased and he hurled the glass away from him, sending it flying over the edge with unnatural speed, the force of an Archangel's throw sending it hurtling into the crashing waves, red droplets flying out around it like gleaming scarlet bullets.

He couldn't believe he'd almost fallen for it again.  _Those boys,_ Gabriel thought, chuckling,  _what is it about them that makes you want to re-evaluate your life for them? It must be the brooding expressions. The soulful gazes._ Gabriel laugh grew louder, the noise swallowed by the furious sea and he tipped his head back, fingers clutching the railing in front of him for balance.  _Really, it must have gotten to Castiel too, because that poor sucker has it BAD. Particularly for Dean._

Gabriel grinned, and cocked his head to the side, letting the truth of that last thought wash over him. He ran through Dean and Castiel's behaviour over the past day whenever they were in close proximity, and found himself smiling more broadly. Not bothering to stifle his huff of amusement, he remembered how the first thing Dean had demanded of Gabriel when they had him bound was that he bring back his stoic, rebellious little brother.

 _Oh this is too perfect,_ Gabriel thought, a shaky idea beginning to form in his mind,  _it appears I may need to play Cupid! One of my favourite games._

Gabriel's grin turned darker, and his shoulders tensed as he glared out at the storm raging below. It was time to get a little payback – granted it was only with one Winchester, but that was better than none, and it would serve Castiel right too for daring to look upon him as if he were better for picking a side in this pointless war. He hadn't earned himself a Trickster status by sitting around brooding in holiday mansions over the state of his troublesome family. No, he was going to have a little fun with Dean and Castiel; maybe somewhere along the way they'd learn to stop trying to mess with Archangels.

Gabriel rubbed his palms together so theatrically it was a shame about the lack of audience, and promptly vanished.

* * *

"-just another stupid feathery dickwad with a little too much juice-"

Dean's rant about Gabriel cut off abruptly, his mouth hanging open as he realised Sam was no longer beside him in the Impala, or even anywhere to be seen, and he was instead in the centre of a large crowd of gyrating scantily-clad bodies, all of whom seemed to be male.

"Uh…" Dean uttered eloquently, eyes wide with confusion as he was jostled about by the men surrounding him, noticing the distinct sound of Madonna pumping loudly out from a speaker somewhere in the corner of this unfamiliar room. "Sam?!" Dean cried out, half-knowing that it was futile; 'Like A Virgin' was being played at a decibel Dean had never wanted to hear it.

He opted for using his eyes instead of his vocal chords, and began whirling around wildly, much to the encouragement of several leather-clad young boys who began to attempt to copy his moves. He tried in vain to peer through the gaps in the frantically dancing bodies, but he couldn't make out a lot past the neon signs and ridiculously 80's-style lasers that indicated this was obviously some kind of club. Though how he'd got here was anybody's guess.

Dean gave up squinting through the near non-existent space between the waists of two toned, stubbly men as they ground up against each other, and turned around only to smack straight into the tanned, bare chest of a very large, very muscled man probably around his age, though it was difficult to tell with the amount of eyeliner he was wearing. Trying to ignore the fact one side of his face was now coated in this guy's sweat, along with what felt and smelled like baby oil, Dean jerked back instinctively and began his profuse apology, only to trail off when he looked up at the guy's smirking expression and hooded eyes. He was looking at Dean the way a vulture sizes up its prey.

"Where'd you think you're going, sexy boy?" The man breathed, crowding in close and trailing his fingers lightly over Dean's torso, his husky voice somehow carrying over the loud twang of Madonna's deep, meaningful lyrics.

"Uh…" Dean tried not to be too obvious about desperately searching for an escape route, but his heart was pounding furiously in his chest.

Dean knew he shouldn't be afraid, and he'd deny any accusations that he was if you asked him, but here, in this unknown place, defenceless and without backup, Dean couldn't help feeling a little exposed. He gulped, suddenly very aware of how trapped he was in this mass of people, with this enormous guy looking like he wanted to eat him, or fuck him, or both.

Suddenly, a hand slammed down on Dean's left shoulder, and an unexpected jolt coursed through his body, making him gasp. He turned quickly, ready to face another predator, only to find himself face-to-face with Cas, who was staring at him with a worried, yet determined expression. In that moment, Dean couldn't have been happier to see the Angel. Trying not to be too obvious about it, he nodded to Castiel in a silent affirmation of his wellbeing, and shifted a little behind him before glancing back up at the huge semi-naked man looming over them.

_"Like a virgin! Touched for the very first time!"_

Madonna's lyrics provided the perfect staccato beat for Dean's heart as he watched the dude size up Castiel, who had finally turned to look up at the stranger. Dean couldn't see Cas's face from where he was positioned, but he guessed from the burly guy's reaction that it had to be pretty impressive.

He wasn't exactly thrilled about it, but Dean was aware that Cas could get a little… possessive. It was usually annoying as hell; and explaining the handprint scar to chicks was always a little awkward, but right now Dean could have kissed him for his predictability. The smirk slipped off of the guy's face, his brow creasing as he drank in the scene before him, Cas's hand still firmly gripping Dean's shoulder, his fingers digging into the soft pink scar tissue he had left there after dragging him out of the pit. Dean could only imagine the sharp set of Castiel's features; he knew the Angel could look pretty friggin' scary if he wanted to. The guy looked annoyed for a moment longer, and then turned to dive back into the crowd, searching for a new victim.

When Cas turned back to face Dean, his face was neutral, as though nothing had happened at all. Dean smirked at him, eyes darting helplessly to his lips for a half-second before inclining his head in a vague 'let's-get-outta-here' direction and steeling himself for the imminent forehead tap that would fling the world out from underneath him.

* * *

When they landed back in their room at Sun N' Sands motel, Dean stumbling a little (he would never get used to Angel transport), they were immediately bombarded by the Spanish Inquisition, aka Sam, who leapt upon Dean before he could open his mouth to speak.

"What the hell happened to you guys?!" Sam cried, hair swinging wildly as he shoved his brother unceremoniously, clearly near-hysterical. Dean put his hands up in an attempt to calm him. "You were right next to me in the car a-and then- poof!" Sam made a fluttering gesture with his hands, which was clearly supposed to represent the disappearance of Dean and Cas.

"Sam, just calm down will you?" Dean said sternly, pushing past Cas and sparing him a lingering look of wordless thanks-for-the-lift before slumping on the bed he'd designated for himself the previous night. Sam took a deep breath in, and Dean could practically hear him counting to ten in his mind. Dean sighed. "We don't know what happened."

Sam's eyebrows shot up incredulously, and he flickered his gaze over to Castiel, who stared levelly back, brow creased in concern. "W-what?"

"It was very odd, there is not a lot that would have the power to transport an Angel to another place against their will." Castiel said, his voice filled with barely disguised concern.

"O-kay…" Sam said, forcing some of the frustration to melt out of his body upon hearing that it wasn't Dean and Cas's fault he'd been sitting here for the past twenty minutes worrying if his brother and his friend were abducted, or dead, or worse. And yes, there was a worse – they were Winchesters after all. "So where did you go?"

Dean shifted uncomfortably, and his hand went up to rub the back of his neck – his trademark move for when he was embarrassed. Sam raised his eyebrows at the tell. "Dean?" He prompted.

"Uh…" Dean shot a wary glance at Castiel before looking away again. "I think it was… uh… a gay club."

Sam's mouth parted in surprise. He looked over to Cas for confirmation. The Angel nodded, seemingly untroubled by the fact. Sam's eyes flicked back to his brother, who was staring resolutely at the wall, his cheekbones a little rouged. Sam couldn't help the splutter that burst from his lips.

"Shut up Sam!" Dean warned, glaring at him until he stopped giggling.

"Sorry, I um…" Sam said, trying hard not to picture his brother and  _Cas, oh God Cas_  amongst all the winking, glittery twinks rubbing up against them… Sam burst out laughing again. Dean narrowed his eyes. "Sorry, sorry. I just… what the hell?" Sam finished, wiping a tear from his eye.

"You tell me, man. You tell me." Dean said, the exhaustion of one hell of a trying day overcoming him at last, and flopping back on the bed.

* * *

The Winchesters rose in the morning with no further insight into the strange events of yesterday. Well, the strange events that didn't involve breaking out of TV land and trapping an Archangel in a holy fire – that part at least they could handle. From the looks of things, Sam guessed that Dean was not keen to discuss the little excursion he and Cas had gone on yesterday, so Sam waited until his brother was in the shower before turning to Cas, who was absent-mindedly flicking through the Motel welcome pack over by the table.

"So, what happened yesterday?" Sam asked him quietly, wary of thin motel walls and his brother's sharp hearing. "You just blinked and found yourself in Rainbow Land?"

Castiel glanced up at the younger Winchester, his brow furrowed again at the unusual terminology. "Yes. It took me several moments to locate Dean. It was very crowded, and the patrons of the club seemed very… tactile. Of course, I am always able to locate Dean if he is close by."

Sam blinked in confusion, and tried not to think about the 'tactile' young men clutching at the trenchcoat of an Angel as he pushed through the masses. "Why's that?"

Castiel resumed his idle flicking through pages. "I have seen his soul, held it in my hands. I know its every appearance and could recognise it anywhere as long as it is within viewing distance."

Sam shifted a little on the end of the bed, feeling a little weirded out by that, but he shook it off. "Right. So, any ideas what could have done it?"

Castiel didn't look up, but his lips pressed together. "As I said previously, it would take something extremely powerful to overcome my will in that way. Something more powerful than me." Now Cas stared levelly at Sam, his eyes trying to communicate something he clearly didn't want to say aloud. Sam stared back for several moments, feeling stupid, then it clicked and he smacked a hand to his forehead.

"You're kidding?!" Sam cried, standing up. "Gabriel? After all that? For Christ's sake doesn't that guy ever give up?!" Sam felt his blood begin to boil; there were fewer things in this world he despised more than that jumped up Archangel right now. Forcing him to beg for his brother's life back at the Mystery Spot after he'd watched Dean die hundreds of times and never been able to stop it was enough, but after the Genital Herpes incident, not to mention the friggin'  _nutcracker_ …

Sam winced as the memory of that moment hit him in full force. His hand fluttered in front of his crotch reflexively but he quickly plastered his arms back to his side at the sight of Castiel, looking uncomfortably at him from across the room.

"Sam, there's no need to take the Son of God's name in vain. We don't know what he wants yet, but at least we know what we're dealing with. Gabriel we can handle at least." Castiel said evenly, and Sam stared at him like he'd lost his mind.

Dean chose that moment to exit the bathroom in a cloud of steam, a towel wrapped around his waist. Castiel had no shame in staring as per usual, looking at Dean's bare chest like it held the secrets of the universe. Sam saw a slight flush creep up his brother's neck when he noticed the attention, and quickly pulled on some pants.

"So." Dean said conversationally, rummaging through his backpack for a clean shirt. "Gabriel, huh?"

* * *

After a long day of searching the places they'd already frequented a few days ago when this whole mess began in an attempt to find Gabriel's hiding place, the three men had to conclude that it was a futile effort. Castiel himself told them as they took a break at a nearby diner (mostly out of boredom) that Gabriel could technically be anywhere, he just chose to set up camp in the towns he was terrorising usually so that he could watch the events unfold.

It was a half-hearted search-mission at best anyway, both Sam and Dean were exhausted from being forced to participate in back-to-back reruns of the lamest TV shows in existence, and it wasn't like Gabriel was hurting anyone. Just sending them for a bit of fun, Sam thought to himself, smirking.

They arrived back at the motel feeling disheartened and irritable from their lack of information, not to mention the clipped, annoyed tone of voice the Sheriff was starting to use on them whenever they dropped into the station with questions. Dean couldn't wait to get this godforsaken town in the rearview mirror of his baby as they sped down the highway. He sighed, and flopped onto his narrow bed once again, noting the now-familiar jab of a broken spring just under his left shoulder blade.

"I… I suppose I'll leave you to it for now." Castiel said awkwardly, politely averting his gaze as Sam and Dean sprawled out on their single beds. Sam sat up at Cas's declaration, nodding and giving him a little smile of understanding before glancing over at his brother, who hadn't moved an inch, and concluding that he was the only Winchester that had inherited any manners. "We'll reconvene in the morning. Call me if anything… strange happens."

Castiel vanished at that, and Sam let out a sigh of relief. It was always a bit awkward when Sam and Dean had to go to sleep; Sam had no idea what Castiel did overnight, whether he went back to Heaven or lingered around at the edge of the highway like he'd done a couple of times previously. Sam felt kind of bad, but it was better than the period of time before they'd talked to Cas about how weird it was that he watched over them while they slept. That was just creepy.

Besides, if Twilight taught Sam anything, it was that one of the down sides of being immortal is all the waiting around. Not that Sam had read Twilight or anything.

Sam shucked off his jacket and trousers and crawled into bed, sighing heavily, relishing the idea of sleep overcoming him. He turned out the crappy motel bedside lamp and lay back in the darkness, trying to shake off a strange feeling of someone watching him.

 _Side effects of the thrilling lifestyle of a hunter no doubt,_ Sam thought absently, screwing his eyes shut tighter.

In his peripheral vision he saw Dean sit up, scratching his head and looking around for something, though he had no idea what that would be, and Sam was asleep before Dean crawled under the covers.

* * *

Sam awoke from a rare and pleasant dream, something that wasn't fire or Jess or Dean being ripped apart by invisible hounds for once. He'd dreamt an ordinary dream, he thought to himself smiling, eyes still closed because he didn't quite want to let go of it. Not only that, but it seemed to have done him good; he felt more well-rested than he had done in… probably years. It was the start to a good morning. Sam breathed in deeply.

The start of a good morning until he opened his eyes. Being a hunter meant being constantly on high alert for anything out of the ordinary, so when Sam opened his eyes to find himself in a completely different room to the one he'd fallen asleep in, it was really no surprise that he jumped immediately out of bed, his bare feet landing on rich, fluffy white carpet, making him jump backwards again in surprise, because where was the gritty, greenish floor of the Sun N' Sands motel?

Sam's head darted left to right, his hair swinging in curtains around his bewildered, fearful expression as he took in the giant four poster bed he'd leapt out of, its crimson duvet ruffled and in disarray. There were roses in a vase on a mahogany table, and sweet, mildly spicy potpourri in tiny china bowls on varied surfaces. A cursory glance into a mosaic-tiled en-suite bathroom allowed Sam to deduce that he was, in fact, alone in this luxurious room that he definitely,  _definitely_ couldn't afford and he was just about to break down and run out of the room to kick the ass of whatever monster was surely behind this, when he noticed his backpack leaning casually against a plush velvet armchair in the corner, his shoes lined up neatly beside it on the floor.

Sam stared for several long moments and wished he had a gun. He went over to the bag cautiously and after a moment of careful checking, he found that everything was accounted for, including his phone, into which he immediately punched Dean's number, too riled up to go through his contacts to search for it.

The phone rang the customary six times and went to voicemail.  _Dammit Dean,_ thought Sam angrily,  _what the fuck is going on?_

That's when Sam noticed the door for the first time. The main door of the room he had noticed almost immediately of course; being who he was, he searched for all escape routes before anything else, but this door was to the right of his ridiculously fancy bed, almost made to go unnoticed and painted the same cream colour as the wall it was set in. Sam stepped towards it with trepidation, and placed his hand upon the wood panelling. It occurred to Sam that if in fact he was still in a motel/hotel of some sort, this would be the sort of door that separated two rooms. He'd never really understood why you'd want that, but hey, he was a liberal guy. Maybe some folks were into that sort of thing. Hell, he'd seen enough glory holes in the motels he'd stayed in, and it was pretty much the same sort of idea. Or maybe he'd got totally the wrong idea.

Sam's fingers fluttered down towards the gold handle of the door, hovering uncertainly. He wasn't sure why he felt the need to go through this door as opposed to the main door, he just had this  _feeling._ And hey, he was psychic. It wasn't like he was going on nothing here.

Drawing in a breath and trying not to think about the fact he was still in just a shirt and boxers, Sam wrenched open the door, finding it opened suspiciously easily, confirming his ideas that this was the correct way to explore. He stepped into the room, finding at first glance that it seemed to nearly exactly mirror his own, and gasped.

"Oh my  _God!_ " Sam cried, shielding his eyes with his fingers and turning away from the enormous heart-shaped bed that took up nearly the entire room, in the centre of which lay his semi-naked brother wrapped around a very dishevelled-looking and very unconscious Castiel. Dean jumped at the sound of Sam's cry of horror, the noise clearly jolting him out of sleep. His hunter instincts were the same as Sam's, and he too tried to leap from the unfamiliar bed only to find his arms entangled with the sleeping Angel. He looked down at Castiel, eyes wide with horror, and it became immediately obvious that he had not been aware of their sleeping position until that moment. This did nothing to comfort Sam, who refused to look towards Dean, desperately trying to wipe the memory of Dean's hands splayed out across Castiel's bare back from his mind.

"What the  _fuck?!_ " Dean yelled as soon as his cries of shock became coherent and Castiel was immediately startled awake at the noise. The Angel sat up quickly, his black hair sticking up like ruffled feathers on the top of his head, his brow wrinkled in confusion as he looked down at first Dean's naked chest and then his own.

"Dean… what…" Castiel said in unusually discombobulated tone of voice.

"Why the hell are you in bed with me, man?!" Dean yelled, and Sam clamped his hands over his ears. "Not cool, okay? Not cool – I know you're a bit unsure on the personal space stuff but  _dude-_ "

"Dean, I didn't-" Castiel began, appearing even more confused.

"Where the fuck are we? Why are you practically naked? Were you  _cuddling me?!"_ Dean cried near hysterically as he pulled the scarlet covers over his chest defensively, questions seemingly pouring out of his mouth at random and aimed at nobody in particular.

"Oh,  _God._ I thought this was going to be a good morning." Sam groaned, sitting against the wall now, his eyes squeezed shut. "Will you guys  _please_ put some clothes on?!"

"Actually Dean, I'm almost certain it was you cuddling me. I distinctly remember your left arm being-"

"Dude, shut  _up!_ " Dean interrupted him, cutting Cas off before he could finish that sentence, much to Sam's relief. Dean took a steadying breath, purposefully not meeting the inquisitive blue gaze from the sleep-ruffled man beside him. A flush crept up Dean's neck and bloomed in his cheeks; it seemed to fascinate Castiel. "Um. Cas, you-you get up first. Our clothes are over on that chair, see?" Dean said, his tone gentler now, almost pleading.

Castiel looked over to where Dean was gesturing and nodded, getting up immediately to re-clothe himself. Sam watched Dean's eyes linger on Castiel's slight frame as he gracefully slid out of the warm red covers, confused.

 _It must be a weird profound-bond thing I don't get,_ Sam thought to himself.

Sam shuddered again and Dean tore his gaze away from Castiel long enough to look at him warily.

"I can't believe I walked in on you guys  _spooning_." Sam said, pulling a disgusted face he was sure he'd left behind him at age twelve. Apparently not, he thought as Dean hurled a deep purple satin cushion at his face.

* * *

Dean adamantly refused to leave the comfort of the weird honeymoon bed until both Castiel and Sam were out of the room, for reasons neither Sam or Castiel could fathom, although Sam had an inkling of an idea as to why when he gave Dean a parting glance, taking in his flushed face, dilated pupils and the covers held firmly over his waist.

But then again, Sam was probably imagining things. The younger Winchester ushered Castiel into his adjoining room and together they sat awkwardly at the foot of the four poster to wait for Dean.

"So, um. Any ideas?" Sam asked, reasoning that it was probably better to begin trying to tackle the question of what-the-hell-just-happened sooner rather than later.

Castiel sighed in response, running a hand through his bedraggled hair and opening his mouth as if to let out a lengthy hypothesis.

"Hello boys!" A cheery voice chirped from behind them, causing both Sam and Cas to leap up from the bed and turn to face their enemy. Sprawled out on his back in the centre of the suddenly perfectly-made bed was Gabriel, merrily sucking on the bright red lollipop he held in one hand, the other cushioning his head as he leant against the pillows.

"Gabriel." Castiel acknowledged, and it wasn't a greeting, but a cold confirmation that this was the culprit.

"Hey there, bro. Long time no see." Gabriel said offhandedly around the sphere of candy in his mouth, sparing a fleeting glance for the glowering Angel by his left foot.

Sam wasted no time, and dove onto the bed, his right hand pinning Gabriel down by the neck as he leaned over him menacingly. "What do you want, Gabriel? What's with all the weird sending us places? I thought we were through with you!" Sam hissed, images of TV Land running in an ironic loop in his mind.

Gabriel's eyebrows shot up at Sam's sudden action and his hand fell from the stick of the lolly, letting his mouth hold it in position; he seemed genuinely surprised that Sam was daring to threaten him at all. Sam didn't let himself think that it was probably futile to be attempting to choke a goddamn Archangel. Gabriel stared at Sam for a few lingering seconds, noisily rolling the sweet around in his mouth, regarding the younger Winchester's stern face contemplatively. Sam was suddenly very aware of the absurdity of the situation; he could feel the warmth of Gabriel's vessel humming underneath him, could smell the sugary, cherry-flavour of the lollipop protruding from his lips. The Archangel's mousey hair twitched from where his own angry breaths disturbed it. If it wasn't for Sam's vice-like fingers digging into the flesh of Gabriel's neck, from another viewpoint this could look entirely different.

Dean chose this moment to enter the room, fully dressed at last, jumping back in surprise when he saw Gabriel reclining on the bed, his brother leaned over him. "Sammy!" He cried, out of habit more than anything. "Y-you okay?"

"Er… yeah." Sam said, feeling a little confused by the current situation he was in with Gabriel – who was in control here? Why wasn't Gabriel reacting to Sam's threat?

All three watched, transfixed, as Gabriel raised a slow hand to Sam's left shoulder and pushed lightly, sending him flying immediately backwards across the room to land in a crumpled heap at Castiel's feet. Gabriel smirked, pulling the lollipip free as he scrambled up, scowling.

"You sonofabitch, what the hell do you think you're doing-" Dean began, striding forwards and trying to shake Castiel's grip when he immediately stopped him.

"Hey! Chucklebrother number one. Seeing as I could toast all three of you right now, and have every reason to want to since you just decided to have a little Angel holy oil bonfire with me back there, why don't you shut your trap and let me explain?" Gabriel interrupted, pointing his ruby-red sweet at Dean in accusation. There was a smile on his face as he said the words, but his eyes sparkling with something they'd come to know to fear.

"I won't allow you to hurt them, Gabriel." Castiel said evenly, his voice steady and firm. Dean looked up in surprise at the surety of it.

Gabriel actually laughed at that. "Of course you won't brother dear. And I wouldn't dream of breaking your new favourite toys. Especially not that one, eh?" Gabriel inclined his head towards Dean, and materialised next to Cas to nudge him in the ribs and wink cheekily before returning to sit on the bed. Dean looked confusedly at Cas, who mirrored a similar expression. Gabriel sighed exasperatedly, and with a flick of his wrist, the lollipop vanished. "Look, here's how it's gonna work. You guys pissed me off. You try and lecture me about my own family, this is what you get. I don't need your sorry-ass advice Winchesters, and this is how I'm gonna make you remember it. Until Cas and Dean sort out their Rom and Jules style tragic love affair, I'm gonna keep these little scenarios coming. And believe me I have a lot of them. You think Purgatory club in Miami and the Honeymoon suite is bad? Boys, they only get worse." Gabriel grinned, delighted with his plan.

Dean spluttered, seemingly unable to form words. Castiel's eyes were as round as saucers and he stared at his brother in horror. Sam looked at all three of them, disgusted. Finally, he settled on Gabriel.

"That's it? That's your plan?" Gabriel's eyes flickered from where he was looking amusedly between Dean and Cas over to the younger Winchester. Sam laughed, his hand going up to cover his eyes as though he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "Oh my  _God!_  Not only is that the worst idea for revenge I've ever heard, it's also  _ridiculous."_ Gabriel angled his body towards Sam, intrigued now, a faint smile playing on his lips. "You think… Dean? And- and Cas? Oh God. Aren't you Archangels supposed to be incredibly old and wise? Well, granted I've only met you and  _Lucifer_ , but I've gotta say, at the moment I'm feeling like Archangels are egotistical, self-centred, moronic  _assholes."_

"Sam!" Castiel hissed, suddenly clamping a hand down on Sam's shoulder in warning. Sam shrugged him off, laughing again.

"You're completely ridiculous, Gabriel. Can we just… not do this? We have a goddamn apocalypse to stop y'know." Sam ran a hand through his hair, and stared Gabriel straight in the eyes, daring him to deny that the plan was flawed.

There were several long moments of unbroken eye contact, wherein Cas and Dean held their breath and waited for an imminent Archangelic explosion. Then Gabriel's face split into a slow grin, his eyes still fixed on Sam. He started chuckling and nodding at the younger Winchester, and in half a second he was crowding Sam's personal space in the way Angels do best.

"Ah, I knew there was a reason I liked you, Sammy." Gabriel murmured, close enough to Sam now that he didn't need to speak very loudly at all. Sam froze, unsure of what was happening or if he should move away. Gabriel gazed up at him, eyes filled with intent, and he smirked, making Sam gulp audibly. "Maybe my plan does need a little work, you're right." Gabriel mused, eyes raking unashamedly over Sam's body, making him very aware he was still only in his boxers and a t-shirt. Gabriel cast a wry look over his shoulder at Dean and Cas, who looked on with unease. "Hmm, yes. However could we fix it to yours and my specifications, sasquatch?" Gabriel flicked his eyes back to Sam, who was looking extremely uncomfortable now. Gabriel's tongue darted out to run along his lower lip. "I know!" He grinned wider. "We could  _double_."

With a wink, before Sam could process that statement, he disappeared.

* * *

They were gone again. It had been two days since the last Gabriel shenanigans and Sam had actually dared to hope that they might have succeeded in scaring him off this time. Now of course, he realised he was an idiot for thinking that at all. Gabriel had a set plan, he was a guy driven by revenge – and nothing was going to get in the way now that he had his mind set on driving Dean and Cas into each other's arms… or up the wall. Whichever came first, Sam suspected.

So one minute Sam was driving to the 24 hour store down the road to pick up some necessities (coffee, sandwiches, and pie) after what had been an extremely long and arduous Ghoul hunt, only to find upon getting back to the room of the Motel that his brother and his brother's Angel were nowhere to be found. Sam didn't even have the energy to be concerned; he knew it was Gabriel behind it, probably shipping them off to a darkened cinema and making their hands meet in the popcorn. He slid the bag of groceries onto the only table in the room, sighing, and grabbed his laptop to go and sit on the bed, awaiting their imminent return.

It didn't take long. About ten minutes later, as Sam was half-heartedly skim-reading an article detailing the last known sighting of the horseman 'Famine' from a guy in Ohio with the username 'yolo247' (it wasn't holding out much hope), a sudden sound of gasping breaths caused Sam to slam the lid of the laptop shut and stare wide-eyed at Dean and Cas, who had just materialised in the middle of the room, both absolutely dripping with what Sam hoped was just water.

"Guys!" Sam cried out, setting his laptop aside and moving to get up. "You're back!"

Castiel was looking worriedly at Dean, standing far too close as usual, his two fingers still raised near his forehead as though he'd forgotten to remove them after lift-off. Dean was panting heavily, cheeks very flushed and purposefully staring at the air in front of him rather than Sam or Castiel.

"Dean-" Castiel began in a low voice, and suddenly Sam felt very excluded.

"Leave it, Cas." Dean interrupted, and before Cas could respond, Dean was marching away towards the bathroom, water splashing down his back and leaving tiny puddles on the carpet. Castiel watched him go, sighing.

Sam chewed his lips anxiously. On one hand, he was concerned for his brother – Cas too of course. Who knows what kind of weird situation Gabriel and plunked them down in the middle of? Hell, they looked half drowned; Castiel's shirt was transparent and plastered to his skinny chest. On the other hand though, Sam was aching with curiosity. And yeah, he knew that was kind of bad, but when you got right down to it, Gabriel was in this business for the lol's. And Sam was a fan of lol-ing as much as the next guy.

"So… where did you-" Sam started to say, trying to be the epitome of nonchalance.

"I would rather not discuss it if that's alright with you, Sam." Castiel said in a flat, firm voice, running a hand through his soaking hair in a very un-angelic fashion.

Sam stared for a moment, feeling a little tired of being a damn third wheel in the Dean and Cas extravaganza, and then shrugged, toed off his boots and lay back on the bed. On a third, hypothetical hand, Sam was tired as hell, and he found he could care less right now about whatever Gabriel had cooked up in his deeply warped imagination.

Sam opened his eye to tell Castiel that Dean would probably be in a strop for the rest of the night so there wasn't much point in hanging around, but when he looked around the room, the Angel was gone.

* * *

Sam rolled over in his bed, trying to ward off the incoming day by keeping his eyes firmly closed. He was always glad when he and Dean got rooms with double beds. It was a rare luxury these days, and a small one at that. But hey, it's the apocalypse right? Gotta enjoy the little things.

"Wakey, wakey, Sam…" An amused voice crooned, and it was the proximity of that voice that alarmed Sam enough to open his eyes and jump at the sight of Gabriel next to him in bed, propped up on one elbow and looking down at Sam's sleeping form with a smirk that Sam itched to slap off of his smug, arrogant face.

Instead, Sam sat up very suddenly, sparing himself a quick glance downwards to ensure that he was still clothed.

"Gabriel! What- What do you want?" Sam spat out, trying and failing to look intimidating in his comfiest cotton pyjamas. Gabriel smiled like he could read Sam's thoughts.

"Aw, I like your PJ's, Sammy!" Gabriel said cheerily, reaching out to tug lightly on the soft fabric of Sam's t-shirt until Sam hastily slapped his hand away.  _And of course, he can read my thoughts. Fantastic._ "Very soft, comforting. And they show off your assets nicely." Gabriel praised with a customary ogle and wink, and Sam felt himself blush, which was ridiculous.

Sam blinked a few times, trying to focus his swimming, sleepy mind. "Shouldn't you be out killing people in inventive and disgusting ways?" Sam said, his voice as scathing as he could manage as he glared at Gabriel, who still looked completely at ease lounging on Sam's bed. "Or even torturing our brothers with your latest scheme?" The Angel sighed a little and shook his head with a disapproving smile.

"Sammy baby, you know I only kill the ones that've got it coming." Gabriel replied with a glint in his eyes. "Besides, I've been working myself to the  _bone._ " Sam tried to ignore the very pointed look Gabriel aimed at his crotch on that last word. For the thousandth time this morning, he really wished they weren't in a bed right now. "Don't you think I deserve a little free time?"

Sam laughed at that, thinking that hell, if anyone could just take a break from this apocalypse thing whenever they felt a bit overworked, why hadn't anyone told him? He'd be in Hawaii right now if that were true. He was sure Dean would like to come, probably with Cas… Hey, where were they anyway? Sam resisted the temptation to look around the Motel room for them; it would give Gabriel the upper hand to know he was concerned. He decided to play ball.

"Oh right. But see Gabe," Gabriel raised his eyebrows at the nickname, "why would you want to waste all that free time with me?" Sam asked, all innocence as he shifted back down to lay facing Gabriel on the bed, propped up on his elbow, mirroring the Angel.

It took a couple of seconds, but Gabriel's face split into a wide grin and he shifted closer. Sam resisted the temptation to pull away, knowing it was all a twisted power-play. "Who says it's time-wasting, Sammy?" Gabriel all but whispered, his fingers coming up to play with the collar of Sam's pyjama top. Each press of his fingertip against Sam's collarbone was like an electric shock against his bare, sensitive flesh. Sam reasoned it must be all that Archangelic power thrumming through the poor sucker's veins.

"Y-you wanna spend time with me?" Sam managed to say, finding it difficult to concentrate when Gabriel's eyes were locked on his, and his other hand was starting to trail a light path over his abdomen. Gabriel nodded, still grinning away, his hazel eyes darting unashamedly to Sam's lips. "W-why?" Sam said, resenting himself for practically whispering it.

Gabriel leaned closer, and Sam could smell the spearmint on his breath. "My baby brother gets a Winchester boy to play with… why can't I?" Gabriel said, smiling, lifting his eyes to Sam's, waiting for a reaction as his right hand found the hem of his t-shirt, fingers teasing at the skin beneath.

Sam's first reaction was obviously revulsion; he and Dean were not Heaven's  _playthings_ for Christ's sake, they were soldiers, working with the douchebag Angels they met because they had to, because they were needed to save the goddamn world. What was Gabriel even saying? That he wanted to sleep with Sam? He was an Archangel! This was clearly not the correct course of action, no matter how much Sam might be enjoying the sensations of Gabriel's nimble fingers right at this moment.

Gabriel chuckled, and Sam narrowed his eyes. "Interesting internal conflict you've got going on there, Samantha." He said, drawing his fingers away, and honestly it was like having cold water poured on him. Without warning, Gabriel stood up from the bed, standing over Sam and leaving him feeling extremely vulnerable. Sam hated himself for letting him get caught up in Gabriel's sexual trickery.

"Look gorgeous, here's the deal. I've decided you're right." Gabriel rolled his eyes and shrugged a little. "Well… partially. There's just not enough in it for me, this whole Castiel and Dean thing. It'll be cute, and it's going to be funny as hell until they get the idea… but you're right. I need to think about my own needs." Sam stared at the Angel incredulously, sitting up against the headboard again.

"You just hear what you wanna hear, don't you?" Sam asked, disbelievingly. "Cause that is so  _not_ what I was-"

"Yeah, yeah. Blah, blah, blah I'm terrible. I've been hearing versions of this speech for ten  _thousand years_ , Sammy!" Gabriel cried suddenly, and Sam shut up, a little wary of the fact this was an extremely powerful force standing before him. "Anyway, bottom line is this: I'm not stopping the game – I'm modifying it. Adding an extra two players. You and I, Sammy. And just like my pal Gaga puts it so eloquently: _This time I'm not leaving without you_. See you soon babe."

Gabriel winked in Sam's direction, leaving him open mouthed and staring as the sound of wings echoed around him, and the Angel vanished.

_He couldn't mean… He didn't mean… A few days ago when he said we could 'double'… like… double date… no… NO…_

"Oh. My. God." Sam said, to himself apparently.

* * *

When Sam's face finally emerged from where it was buried in his hands, he saw with very mild gratitude that Dean and Cas were back from wherever they'd been. Dean's face was an amusing mixture of humiliation and fury, and had Sam been in a better state of mind himself, he probably would have teased his brother about it.

"That son of a  _bitch_ , where is he?!" Dean yelled, batting Cas's floating two fingers away from where they were poised near his forehead, and storming over to flop down face-first on his bed.

"Are you referring to-" Cas started to say.

" _GABRIEL."_ Came Dean's muffled cry, his mouth filled with pillow.

Sam hugged his knees to his chest, still sitting in the same position on the bed, fighting the urge to rock back and forth like a mental patient. He looked up at Dean's exclamation and let out a heavy sigh of resignation to at least an hour of intense, awkward questioning.

"He was here." Sam said, and he immediately felt two sets of eyes bore into him.

Dean sat up fast, still clutching the pillow fiercely, and for a moment Sam let his mind wander as to what exactly had happened to Dean and Cas in the twenty minutes (at most) that Gabriel was here.

"He was  _here?"_ Dean repeated incredulously, sparing a fleeting look of disbelief at Castiel, who was wearing his trademark concerned/confused face. "And you think to mention this  _now?"_

"I'm still recovering, okay?!" Sam cried defensively, wrapping a tighter arm around his knees. Dean pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like 'Lord, give me strength'. Sam saw his brother and Castiel exchange another creepy-ass wordless conversation that they both immediately seemed to understand, and Sam couldn't help but feel like maybe Gabriel wasn't so batshit after all about those two.

Castiel directed his piercing, unrelentingly sombre gaze at Sam, who shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny.  _Man, how the hell does Dean stand it on a daily basis?_

"Oh." Castiel said, as though a great realisation had just been poured over him. Sam's eyes snapped up towards him, and he saw that Cas had ceased his weird staring. "It would appear that my brother has chosen to complicate the plan he has already formed for Dean and I." Dean flushed and coughed a little at the words 'Dean and I' but both Sam and Cas ignored him.

"Wait, what? How do you know…" Sam began, feeling himself redden as the processed the idea that Castiel might actually be aware of Gabriel's newly found interest in the younger Winchester.

"I read your mind, Sam." Castiel said matter-of-factly. And well, that explained the weird staring. Sam felt himself getting angry.

"Hey! You can't just-"

"Oh, shove a can in it Sam, we've got bigger things to worry about." Dean interrupted him, and Sam glowered in his direction. "Besides, if Lucy gets ahold of you, there's no such thing as secret thoughts Sammy so you might as well get used to the idea."

"Well, someone's an optimist today." Sam replied sarcastically, folding his arms and looking away from his brother in a fashion he knew made him look five years old.

"Listen man, you weren't there! Me and Cas were just in a goddamn-"

"Dean!" Castiel interrupted suddenly, materialising in front of Dean in less than half a second and slamming a hand over his lips in an attempt to shock him enough that he stopped speaking. It worked extremely well, and Dean's round, wide eyes stared up at Castiel in shock until the Angel deemed it fit to release him.

Sam raised one eyebrow. "Look, guys. Can we just focus? Basically, Gabe's decided we're both Angel chow. That's his game plan. It's you two and us two. Lucky me, right?" Sam said, rolling his eyes. Castiel bit his lip nervously.

"I'm sorry, hold up,  _Gabe?_ " Dean repeated, sounding on the verge of disgust. Sam looked confusedly back at him.

"Yeah…"

"Since when is he  _Gabe?"_ Dean asked in a ridiculously melodramatic tone, and Sam looked back at him like he was the stupidest creature on earth.

"Oh, so you're allowed to call yours 'Cas', but I'm not allowed a nickname for-"

Dean's splutter cut Sam off mid-sentence, and Sam couldn't help the small smile that crept on to his face. "Cas is not  _mine,_ that's just his  _name!"_ Dean argued pointlessly, and cast a look towards the Angel to the left of him. _"_ Right, Cas?" Castiel nodded unsurely.

"Noooo," Sam drawled, suddenly loving this game of who-loves-their-Angel-more, "it's the name that  _you_ gave to him." Dean spluttered again, batting the air in front of him as though he was trying to swat Sam's argument away. "Face it Dean, Gabe had good reason to suppose you guys were having some great unrequited love affair and you know it."

"Shut up, Sam." Dean said, which apparently signalled the end of that conversation, and he got up from the bed to grab the Impala keys off the counter. "I'm going to get pie. We'll have to wait for 'Gabe' to make his next move before we can make ours anyway." Sam sighed and nodded, reaching for his laptop. Dean paused when he reached the door of the motel, turning back. "…Cas, you coming?" Castiel, like the little puppy he was, obediently followed Dean out of the door.

 _Good boy, Cas!_ Sam thought to himself with a smile.

The door opened a fraction and Dean poked his head round the side. "Bitch."

"Jerk." Sam replied almost instantaneously, an instinctive reply. Dean grinned and disappeared. Instinct didn't make it untrue though.

* * *

 

 

Sam was in bed when Dean and Cas crashed back into the motel room the next time. They'd been gone all day, but Sam hadn't been worried. He'd actually taken the day to relax, do a little reading, go to the museum in town. It had been nice. A nice little nerd day. Sam nodded towards Cas and Dean, who were dripping rivulets of water and panting heavily again. He remembered the last time they'd looked this way. They hadn't wanted to talk about it then, and Sam suspected it was much the same now. They weren't saying anything though. Castiel was holding Dean awkwardly, as though he could barely stand on his own. It was dark in the motel room, and Sam wasn't even sure they'd seen he was awake. He should probably say something. 

Dean patted Castiel's arm, signalling for him to let go, and gave the Angel a long, meaningful look before trudging wetly across the room and falling into bed.  _Ew, that's got to be uncomfortable,_ Sam thought, thinking of damp jeans clinging to skin.

 

 

 

 

Sam watched Castiel watching Dean for a while, then the Angel looked at him, nodded, and vanished.  _Weird_. Sam fell asleep.

* * *

The next time Sam woke up somewhere unexpected, he was hesitant about complaining at all. He had to hand it to Gabriel, the dude never skimped on the décor when he created his little AU's. Sam opened his eyes to find himself face down on a sort of padded table with a hole in the end, and though for a moment he got a vivid reminder of seeing his brother sprawled on a similar looking one in 'Seattle Mercy Hospital' while he scraped a bullet out of his shoulder blade, he quickly relaxed as two firm, smooth hands glided up his bare back, wringing the tension out of his taut muscles.

Sam couldn't help a little sigh of relief. He'd been on edge for days – all of them had, it was torture not knowing when Gabriel would strike, or how. And what was the harm in enjoying the luxury of Gabriel's fabricated world for a few minutes? He'd get up and fight monsters or Archangels in a little while… just give it five minutes. This person's fingers were nimble and skilled. Sam thought that Gabriel had probably invented a highly qualified masseuse (because he had a penchance for hot females) for this little game, and he found it difficult to complain. The hands reached Sam's broad shoulders, and some kind of oil or lotion slicked their way as they smoothed gently over the top and down the back of Sam's neck, brushing his dampened hair back to let the cool air wash over him. Sam felt familiar shivers run through him as the masseuse's thumbs pressed against a sensitive spot at the top of his neck and trailed a line downwards, over the bumps of his spine, descending lower… and lower.

Sam was wearing a towel around his waist, he could feel the cotton brushing his skin, but he couldn't help feeling mildly concerned when the hands reached his tailbone with no intention of stopping. Sam tensed a little, ready to sit up and break the spell, tell whoever this person was to back the hell off, when the hands abruptly changed course, seeming to notice the change in him, and fanned out over his waist, the oil slipping deliciously beneath the stranger's dancing digits. Sam relaxed again and lost himself in the feeling of utter bliss, trying to remember a time when he'd had a massage that felt this good, ever. He'd had girlfriends give him massages in the past, but it in no way compared to this. He could feel the warm coil of pleasure start to breathe through his body, beads of sweat starting to bloom on his brow. He breathed raggedly through the hole his face was pressed into, trying to focus on the slatted wooden floor rather than the slow circles being rubbed across his hip bones.

Sam knew he needed to stop this, soon. He had to find Dean and Cas, and together they had to find Gabriel and stop this madness. More urgently, Sam knew that things were going to get very awkward very soon unless whoever this was stopped dancing dangerously close to certain areas on his body.

_Just stay away from the towel covered portion,_ Sam thought,  _or don't. Whatever._

Sam tried to stop the thought; he already knew Gabriel was behind this and he definitely knew the jerk could read his mind, but on the other hand… it had been so long since he's had this kind of attention. An overwhelming desire began to thread through Sam's body, to turn over onto his back, let those roaming hands slide up his chest, pull whoever it was down on top of him, hook an insistent leg around them and grind his hips up into them, giving him the friction he so desperately needed. The fingers slid downwards again, pushing teasingly at the top of the towel as though they longed to dive beneath it. Sam unintentionally let out a small moan of frustration at the thought and pushed his hips downwards against the table. And that's when he heard it.

At the sound of an all too familiar chuckle, Sam's eyes flew open wide and rationality came flooding back into him. Because what was he  _thinking?_ This was exactly what Gabriel wanted, and now the little perv was probably watching the show with a bucket of popcorn from the corner. Sam screwed his eyes shut and cursed himself for being so stupid.

That's when he felt a pair of lips pressing tenderly against the hollow area at his lower back, and he nearly fell off the table in his haste to scramble away from the attack. He turned to face the owner of the magic hands that had been working on him for what must have been at least fifteen minutes now, and could have smacked himself in the face for his further stupidity. Honestly, some days he couldn't remember how he managed to get into Stanford at all, because surely anybody with  _half_ a brain could have guessed that it would be Gabriel doing the massaging.

Of course he wouldn't conjure up a pretty young lady fully trained in the art of massage for Sam – why would he? Being however thousands (millions?) of years old probably meant he had stored away that knowledge for himself long ago. And he just used that knowledge on Sam. And he  _still_ had a boner from it.

"Session's not up yet, Sammy." Gabriel said with a grin, his white coat and 'Dr Handsy' nametag just making Sam feel even more useless. Sam just stared at him in a dismayed, helpless fashion. There was no point in trying to hide the obvious. He was practically naked. He had thoroughly enjoyed that little rub-down. Too much.

"I-I…" Sam tried, not knowing what he was about to say. Gabriel cocked his eyebrow knowingly.

"Come on gorgeous," Gabriel cut in, moving towards Sam and tracing an oily finger over his bare shoulder. Sam thought about pulling away, but really, by now was there any point? "No need to deny the obvious," Gabriel said in a low voice, aiming a pointed glance at Sam's 'towel-covered-portion', which the hunter immediately placed his hands over defensively, "we don't usually do happy endings here," Gabriel said in a fake masseur-voice that quickly slipped back into his own as he leaned closer to Sam's ear, "but for you I'd make an exception."

That, along with Gabriel's wink and cocky smirk, were what prompted Sam to leap from the table, finally. Gabriel looked mildly surprised, as though he'd expected Sam to fall willingly into his lap at the first innuendo-laden word.

"Yeah, thanks but I'll pass." Sam said, relieved to find his senses flooding back to him at last. "Hate to disappoint you Gabe, but I… I thought you were a hot girl." Sam gave him an apologetic shrug, and Gabriel stared in surprise. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go rescue Dean and Cas. Some crazy Archangel on a power trip has decided they're his new dollies."

Satisfied with that final retort, Sam turned to the door of the room, which he now saw was a pretty typical minimalistic, excessively wooden spa-massage-parlour. Or what he assumed was typical. He didn't exactly frequent these places.

"Uh, Sammy?" Gabriel called before Sam could leave, and Sam's shoulders slumped when he heard the amusement in his voice.  _Great, thought I might've one-upped the asshole. No such luck apparently._

"What?" Sam spat out, without turning around.

"I don't wanna be one of those controlling boyfriends or anything, but I'm gonna  _suggest_ you leave them to it." Gabriel said, little giggles threatening to burst through his words. Sam spun around then. Gabriel was leaned casually against the massage table, tracing a pattern into a puddle of oil spilled on the surface. He was perfectly composed after the ordeal, and Sam hated him for it. In comparison Sam was a mess and he knew it, flushed cheeks, flushed throat, hair plastered to his neck with sweat and massage oil, and to top it off an impressive tent in his towel that wasn't going away.

"I'll take my chances." Sam growled, and stalked out of the door. He tried not to let Gabriel's chuckling bother him.

_Hold on,_ Sam thought as he walked down a very repetitive and equally minimalistic corridor with several doors leading off of it,  _did he just say 'boyfriend'?_

Sam really,  _really_ didn't want to think about what that meant right now, so he continued walking, taking note of the sign on every door and trying to think like Gabriel in order to determine where Cas and Dean might be stranded.

Sam paused outside a door that read 'Pedicure Salon' contemplatively, but decided that Gabriel might have been tempted, but he wouldn't place Dean and Cas in a room where they wouldn't be able to move for fear of smudging their toes when he wanted them to…  _you know._

He kept walking.  _Why does he think that I should 'leave them alone'?_ Sam thought, brow furrowed as he walked quickly past a door that read 'Teeth Whitening'.  _Are they arguing or something? Well, it can wait, we need to get out of here. I can't stand being anything less than fully dressed around that guy… for some reason._

At that, Sam quickly spared a glance down to check his towel was securely in place and breathed a sigh of relief. He actually found himself a little grateful to Gabriel for letting him keep that amount of dignity. Then he shook it off. He had nothing to thank Gabriel for. Except that massage. That was… unexpectedly pleasant. But wildly inappropriate.

Sam sighed. This situation was a clusterfuck of feelings. He almost wished for the simplicity of the 'Bad Lucifer, No Lucifer, Naughty Lucifer' situation. Then, with a disturbing mixture of joy and unease at Gabriel's warning, he spotted a door that he thought looked very likely. 'Steam Room'.

Sam hastened towards it, noting that this one was a glass door, but that he could see nothing inside. He'd never been a steam room before, but he knew that they were renowned for homosexual shenanigans. Gabriel would definitely have wanted to put Dean and Cas in here. Sam was eerily sure of it.

He pulled open the door and was immediately attacked by an enormous cloud of steam pouring out, hot and damp against his skin. He blinked for a moment, stunned, but ploughed in, determined on his mission, closing the door behind him. As soon as he stepped further into the steam, he realised with shock that he was utterly blind. The thought mildly terrified him, and he stretched out his hands in front of him, finding with horror that, fully extended, he lost his hands to the thick, white steam as well. He slammed his hands against his chest to reassure himself that he was still there, and tried to take in a few calming breaths. But the steam was thick and heavy with moisture, it was like half-drowning. Sam tried not to think about how much oxygen was in the room, and gathered himself together, determinedly moving forwards, peering around him to try and make out any vague figures in the gloom.

He wanted to call out to Dean and Cas, to ask if they were there, but Sam's fear was overwhelming his rationality, and he started to think that he wouldn't be able to speak, and if he could, nobody would hear him. He felt familiar waves of panic welling in his chest, but he pushed them down, and listened instead. He did hear something, vague noises from not far away… movement of some kind. Sam edged towards it, mouth open as he sucked in the moisture-laden air.

He could see them now, two distinct figures, and he felt relief flood through his body. _It must be Dean and Cas_ , he thought,  _who else would it be? Why aren't they seeing me?_

Sam noted that the two figures were very close to each other, abnormally close in fact, and for a few blind moments, Sam reasoned that they must be as scared of this room as he was - huddling together for comfort. He was nearly in front of them now, and he could hear that they weren't speaking, not even in hushed tones as he'd previously suspected. They were moving though, and what was that sound. Sam stood, puzzled, watching the two shapes move together, his mouth open ready to voice the question  _what are you doing?_

And then it hit him. Like a friggin'  _Freight Train_ it hit him. Why was it taking him so long to realise everything today? They were  _kissing._ Sam was standing here in a damp cloudy room watching his brother full on make out with an  _Angel._

And what the HELL?! Sam's sharp intake of breath caused the two figures in front of him to immediately spring apart, and no, Sam did  _not_ just see Dean's hand emerging from the depths of the steam encircling Cas's waist. Sam jerked backwards, nearly stumbling, and Dean stood up quickly. If they hadn't been in a goddamn steam room Sam knew his brother would be blushing.

"Sam, wait!" Dean yelled as Sam stumbled blindly towards the door. He found it with surprising ease and wrenched it open, taking huge lungfuls of non-steam-filled air as soon as he vacated the room. His mind was swirling. That was the only way he could describe it. What did this  _mean?!_ Gabriel was  _right?_ What the hell?!

"Sam." Sam's head jerked up in surprise, and he saw Castiel and Dean standing in front of him, also clad only in towels, a cautious distance between all three of them.  _Damn Castiel's mojo_. "Please. Let us explain."

Dean simply nodded at Castiel's words, giving Sam a look that he knew meant he would stop everything right now if Sam didn't like it. Sam hated that look. He hated that Dean cared so much what he thought – because what did he know?

"Y-you… you and Cas…" Sam stuttered, he flicked his eyes between them, but upon meeting Castiel's gaze he found he had to immediately avert his eyes.

"Yeah. We didn't exactly mean for it to happen, okay? But Gabriel is a determined son of a bitch, and… well… I dunno I guess maybe he was right." Sam didn't miss the glance Dean shot at Castiel.

"Right?" Sam asked weakly.

"Gabriel told us that he had sensed a romantic affection between myself and Dean, enhanced by the fact there is some of my Grace entwined in his soul." Castiel clarified.

"Yeah. That. I didn't believe it or anything, because… come on… girls, man. I like girls." Dean said, floundering a little, his gaze flitting around the room. His eyes met Castiel's and seemed to stick, like they always had done, a thousand times and Sam had never thought about what it meant. "Yeah, but then, I dunno we were just put in all these goddamn situations and I just… broke. Or something." Dean continued, his voice growing softer, not taking his eyes off Cas.

"I think it was more of a realisation of the extent of our feelings." Castiel corrected, and Dean rolled his eyes fondly.

"So… how long ago did you… break?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"The last one. The time before this one." Dean answered, a little awkwardly, finally dragging his eyes away from Cas's to look at Sam. "We were gonna tell you I swear."

Sam nodded slowly, trying to deal with the information he was receiving. He decided it was probably going to take some time to get used to this. Or maybe it wouldn't. Cas was always around anyway… it would make Dean happy. It's not like they'd do anything gross in front of him. Probably.

A thought flew suddenly into Sam's brain, knocking all the others away. "Hold on a sec…" he said, brow furrowing slightly. "If you guys are already… um…" Sam let himself trail off, opting to make a gesture with his hands rather than saying it out loud just yet. Dean rolled his eyes. "Then… why are we here? Gabriel's already got what he wanted. What else does he want?"

Castiel opened his mouth to reply.

"Woah! That is the million dollar question, Sammy!" Gabriel interrupted, appearing out of nowhere by his side, sliding an inappropriate hand around his bare waist, causing his cheeks to redden. At least he wasn't hard anymore. Seeing his brother and Cas had taken care of that nicely. "What else… what else could I  _possibly_ want?" Gabriel asked, turning to face Sam and raking his eyes up and down Sam's body in a wildly suggestive manner.

"Uh…" Sam said.

Gabriel sighed and looked disappointed. "Come on, Sammy. I know that little conversation we had in your bed the other day wasn't a wet dream." Colour flew into Sam's cheeks and he saw Dean stiffen out of the corner of his eye. "What did I say the new game plan was?" Gabriel cupped a hand to his ear, clearly inviting Sam's response.

"You said…" Sam looked hesitantly towards Dean and Cas, who were standing much closer together now, almost as if they were magnets, drawn to each other. Deciding he didn't want his older brother hearing certain things, he bent to whisper in Gabe's ear. "You said you're not leaving without me."

Gabriel took the opportunity nip lightly at the skin of Sam's neck and whisper back, "Bingo."

Sam yelped in surprise and jumped backwards but Gabriel had disappeared. Dean and Cas stared at him curiously, and mildly horrified. Dean sighed and ran a hand through his short hair.

"Take us home, Cas?" Dean asked, looking down into his eyes. Cas smiled up at him like he had finally found his purpose in life: to satisfy Dean Winchester's every whim. Despite the fact an Archangel had just basically told him he wasn't going to leave them all alone until he got into Sam's pants, he couldn't help feeling a little happy for them.

* * *

Heaven had been a bit of a bore recently. Strictly speaking, Gabriel isn't even allowed back in Heaven since he ran away from home and started being so naughty, but occasionally he'd sneak back, distracting the seraph at the gates with whatever he could muster up at short notice (this time it had been a velociraptor), and slipping between the bars. He had to do some artful dodging of course; he couldn't risk Michael or Raphael seeing him up here – he'd probably be flung into a cage too for daring to question Daddy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So that's how Gabriel found himself in the personalised Heaven of a particular soul, who on earth had been known as Henrietta Violet. In life she'd been an avid gardener, planting her lobelia's and tulip seeds faithfully every spring, right up until the ripe old age of 86, when she'd passed away in her sleep. It was no surprise therefore, that her Heaven was a bountiful garden, lush and vibrant with colour, the ever-shining sun pouring life into every bud she planted. Gabriel watched from the shade of a tree at the end of the garden, mildly amused by the sight of her lavender sun hat and matching gloves working furiously as she dug her fingers into the rich, moist soil. This sort of thing never usually interested him, but there was one thing about Henrietta that left him utterly dumbfounded.

There was movement from behind Henrietta, and a man began to cross the grass towards her, his pace leisurely, his smile utterly contented. He held two glasses of what looked like lemonade in his hand, and from where he stood across the garden Gabriel could see the clouded condensation clinging to the glasses from where the sun was beating down. Henrietta's back was to him as she knelt down before one of her abundantly full flowerbeds, and when he approached he sat down beside her and tapped her shoulder.

Gabriel tensed, unprepared for what he knew would happen next. He felt uncomfortable, and utterly bemused. Henrietta turned to face the man, and her eyes both softened and lit up at the sight of him. She flung off her lavender gloves and turned towards him, their heads bowed together as though they were seeing deeply into each other's eyes. She accepted the lemonade graciously and took a long sip, him mirroring her movements – unconsciously or not Gabriel couldn't tell. She leant her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, utterly at peace. The man set down his glass and reached up to stroke her hair, marvelling at the change from wispy white to the rich coconut brown of her youth. Age was transient in Heaven. Gabriel was well aware of this.

The man leaned down to touch her forehead with his own, still smiling. He whispered something softly to her and she smiled, her eyes fluttering open and gasping at his proximity. When she leaned forwards a little to press a soft kiss to his lips, Gabriel thought it was time to go. He turned from the couple, feeling no clearer about what he had just witnessed and extended his wings, poised for flight. That was when he noticed the other figure in the shadows. How long had he been there? Watching Gabriel spying on this couple sharing their own piece of Heaven? He had no right.

"Castiel." Gabriel acknowledged, nodding at the other Angel.

Castiel said nothing, he simply walked forwards to look at the scene Gabriel had been watching. The younger Angel flexed his wings, and his brow furrowed further. He was silent for a few more moments, and Gabriel considered leaving, but Castiel would find him. Besides, after all the stuff he'd been putting his brother through over the past couple of weeks, he supposed Castiel deserved… whatever it was he was here to do. Castiel sighed, suddenly.

"What are you doing here, Gabriel?"

"Oh, you know me. Always doing what I shouldn't." Gabriel replied, coming to stand next to Castiel, both of them facing the laughing couple on the grass in front of them.

"But why here? There are many other places in Heaven, I'm sure you know of more than I do, where you would be less likely to be found. There are many Angels watching over the departed souls in Heaven. One of them could easily spot you." Castiel said, and his voice was teeming with barely restrained curiosity. He genuinely didn't understand his brother. Gabriel supposed it was quite sad really, that nobody did.

"I…" Gabriel began, about to brush Castiel's question off with a witty remark. He glanced up at his brother's vessel, the fire blue eyes so expressive, so pure. Just like him. He deflated, and looked back out towards Henrietta and her partner. "I've never understood." He confessed.

Castiel looked confused; how could a centuries old Archangel, much older and more experienced than himself not understand something in the Heavenly realm?

Gabriel couldn't help chuckling at Castiel's expression. "Soulmates, Castiel. I've never understood soulmates. Why are they the exceptions to the rule about every soul getting their own Heaven? What can it be that so intrinsically links them, that it would be cruel for God to keep them apart in the afterlife? I don't believe in it, I'm afraid. Nobody could understand somebody else fully and love them unconditionally forever."

When Castiel said nothing, Gabriel looked up, surprised. He'd expected Castiel to let out a horrified spiel about trusting God's decisions. Little goody-goody. What he saw instead shocked him to the core. Castiel looked  _sad._ Sad for him in fact. Pitying. It made Gabriel want to run away, to take back what he'd said, to do something stupid like smite someone nearby to show that he was a powerful Archangel and was not to be pitied.

Gabriel took a deep breath, and readied himself for Castiel to lecture him. He knew of course, the technicalities of soulmating. He knew, just like any Angel knew, that upon meeting, your souls would quite literally intertwine, and you'd each take a part of the other from then on. He knew that it was difficult for soulmates to stay apart from each other for this reason, but that some did, out of necessity, whilst on earth, only to re-join each other in Heaven. He also knew that it was a rarity for humans to find their soulmates – sometimes they just didn't look hard enough and settled for less, sometimes their soulmate could be on the other side of the world, or born in a different time period, or dead already. Gabriel knew this, and prepared to hear it again, from Castiel's lips.

Instead, Castiel said, "I have come to request that you leave Sam Winchester alone."

Gabriel blinked. He tossed one lingering look towards the couple, now laid back on the grass, their hands as entwined as their souls. He looked up at Castiel and smiled. "No."

Castiel looked exasperated. "Why? What can you want from him? He is struggling right now, Gabriel-"

"Yeah. I know! With our big bad brother. Don't you think him having an Archangel around might be a good thing?" Gabriel replied, cutting Castiel off.

"I am there. I will protect Sam." Castiel said firmly, his wings puffing out in a protective stance.

Gabriel laughed loudly, and Castiel quickly cloaked the air around them, muffling the sound of their conversation from the souls reclined on the lawn. The last thing they needed was to draw attention from other Angels. "Oh right. You'll protect him. Is that in between your make out sessions with the other Chucklehead? Do you even know how Lucy is getting to Sam? Or how many times it's happened?"

Castiel's mouth opened, ready to retort, but no words came out.

"That's what I thought." Gabriel said condescendingly. "In his dreams, genius. Didn't think of that one did you? I guess I understand though, I mean, it must be difficult to concentrate when your tonguing a Winchester."

"Gabriel-" Castiel warned, and Gabriel smirked.

"Listen, bro," Gabriel interrupted, moving forwards to put a friendly hand on his brother's trenchcoated shoulder, "I mean him no harm! I can be nice, really I can. I just… well… at first this was for the lol's yes, I'll grant you. But that boy… he interests me. I can't figure him out, y'know? He's such a smart kid, he'll figure it out eventually. I wanna protect him. That is my primary objective I assure you… but at the same time he's so delicious. I can't keep my hands to myself. Who knows? Maybe he'll come around on that front too." Gabriel grinned at Castiel, who looked mildly horrified, but seemed to be contemplating the protection offer.

"Don't give me that look, Cassy. You have to learn to  _share._ If you get a Winchester in your bed, I want one too!" Gabriel said in him best pouty voice.

"You'll… you'll protect Sam?" Castiel asked hesitantly, unable to deny even to himself that he needed the assistance on that front.

"Tell you what kiddo, I'll keep an eye on Sasquatch, you keep your eyes and hands and whatever else you want on your little piece of man-candy." Gabriel said, leaning in dangerously close to Castiel's face. Castiel looked unsure for a moment, and then nodded once, and disappeared.

* * *

Sam only closed his eyes for two seconds, but when he opened them again, he was in a 70's chick flick movie. Well, probably not literally he reasoned, but it was still friggin' weird. He was sat in the passenger seat of an open top car, in a huge field filled with thousands of other very similar looking vehicles, all facing towards an enormous screen, upon which a black and white movie was flickering half-heartedly – which nobody seemed to be actually watching. The blood ran cold in Sam's veins.

_A 'drive-thru'._

Sam gulped and looked down at himself, because he was under no illusions as to why he was suddenly here – he longed for a Djinn or a witch, but no of course it was their own personal Archangel – and he knew from experience that Gabriel seemed to prefer having Sam partially naked when he visited. This time, thankfully, Sam was fully dressed – a little  _too_ fully dressed perhaps; Sam thought the white shirt and his best pants might be a little much for watching a terrible movie in a muddy field. Taking a deep breath and steeling himself for the inevitable, Sam turned to look at the driver's seat of the car. In it, sat Gabriel. Sam was a little stunned at first; he'd expected some kind of trickery at least – a disguise perhaps, some kind of sick joke – who knows?  _He_  wasn't a damn trickster.

Instead, Gabriel sat staring at the screen in front, looking mildly bored by the movie but otherwise fine, his elbow resting casually on the low door by his side. He was wearing a shirt himself, his one black, the sleeves rolled up a little way. Sam couldn't help noting that it looked good on him, though he dismissed the thought instantly, mindful of who it was in the car with him. When he caught Sam staring and smiled at him, Sam went scarlet, turning away, and thanked the Heavens it was 'night' in wherever they currently were, if it even was a real place.

The movie flickered on for several more minutes. Sam tried to make sense of the plot, but it seemed to him to be completely random, focusing in on characters that had nothing to do with the previous people on screen. He supposed they did it this way because nobody cared what movie they were seeing: everyone knew that wasn't the point of the 'drive-thru'. Sam allowed himself to wonder if a centuries old Archangel knew that, and then could have smacked himself because hello! This was  _Gabriel,_ of course he knew that.

Sam's attention was caught by some movement in the car next to him, and he looked over to see a couple of teenagers making out furiously, parked so close to him that Sam could have reached out and prised them off each other if he were so inclined. Instead, he blushed and tried to ignore them as he watched the couple on screen making out instead. It took Sam far too long to realise, considering he was supposed to be the smart one, but after a couple of scans around the lot, it dawned on him that  _everyone_ was making out in their cars, save for him and Gabriel. He reddened further and refused to look over at the driver's seat, knowing that he would be confronted with a smug, flirtatious smile and that he wouldn't be able to stop himself slapping it off. He peered at a car about three rows down, realising with further horror that he could see his brother in it, and he didn't have to guess who he was snogging within an inch of his life.

" _Gabriel!"_ Sam hissed, leaning slightly towards the other passenger of the car, but still not looking at him

"Alright babe?" Gabriel replied, shifting a little closer to Sam.

"Stop it. Stop it  _now._ " Sam said in what he hoped was a threatening tone.

"Stop what, Sammy?" Gabriel asked innocently, his thigh now pressed against Sam's.

Sam shot him a look, and immediately wished he hadn't, because initiating eye contact was clearly what Gabriel had been hoping for.

"Take me home." Sam said, and then cursed himself for the phrasing. Gabriel chuckled, and began to dance his fingers delicately on Sam's knee.

"Aw, Sammy you'll get me all hot and bothered talking like that." Gabriel said, and Sam closed his eyes, willing this to be a bad dream. "I would, of course, nothing would make me happier, but I thought you might prefer to do things the traditional way. This is our first date, baby. Thought we'd start with some on top of the clothes stuff for now."

Sam opened his eyes just in time to see Gabriel wink, clearly very amused. He was crowding Sam's personal space, and Sam longed for the strength to push him off; he wasn't going to embarrass himself by trying, that would just amuse Gabriel further.

"Fine. How about I stab you with another bloody wooden stake –  _on top of your clothes_?" Sam hissed, getting close to Gabriel's face to try and scare him off.

"Oooh! I say." Gabriel exclaimed, leaning back slightly and putting a hand over his heart. "Someone's a little frosty today! Maybe I'd better turn on the charm." Gabriel said, running a hand through his hair.

"Fine." Sam said loudly, not caring if any make out sessions were interrupted because of him. "You want this to be a first date? No problem. Doesn't mean I have to  _like_ you."

Sam folded his arms defiantly and turned to stare at the screen again, gritting his teeth. He'd prefer a nonsensical plotline and a flawed, badly made film to making out with Gabriel in this car. No matter how good that black shirt looked, or clung to his shoulders.

Out of the corner of his eye Sam noticed Gabriel staring at him again, in that odd way he seemed to save for Sam – like Sam was unexpected, surprising, unusual. It was a freaky stare. Sam tried to ignore it.

* * *

About an hour into the film, Gabriel leaned over to whisper in Sam's ear. Sam tensed, ready for a stream of filthy innuendo's and sexual advances, but instead Gabriel just said:

"Be right back, Sammy, going to get some popcorn."

Sam nodded and didn't watch him go. Honestly he didn't. It wasn't until Gabriel actually exited the car that Sam realised something was a bit off about that statement - after all, couldn't Gabriel just summon up a whole bucketful of popcorn with a snap of his fingers if he were so inclined? Maybe he'd affected the angel more than he thought with his decision to give the cold shoulder. Gabriel obviously hadn't been expecting that, perhaps he needed time away from Sam to go and rethink his plan?

About two minutes later, a thought occurred to him and he suddenly jerked upright in his seat, looking over his shoulder to see if he could locate Gabriel in the distance. He couldn't see him, but he reasoned he had a few more minutes before the Archangel's return, so he opened the passenger side door, stumbled out, and began to weave through the cars, narrowly avoiding flailing limbs as people drove their tongues into each other's throats.

He approached the car that held Dean and Cas with trepidation for two reasons: one, he didn't want another front seat experience of Dean and Cas's tonsil wars so soon after the last one, and two, he couldn't actually see them in the car. Which meant… well Sam didn't want to know what that meant.

He quickly found out though, when he peered over into the front seats and found Cas sprawled underneath Dean, who was busily sucking what would probably turn out to be a large hickey on his Angel's neck. Sam made a noise of disgust, and Dean looked up, shocked.

His eyes met Sam's and his mouth fell open in an attempt to explain himself, but Sam just shook his head and gestured for them to get up.

"Dean?" Sam heard Castiel say, although he'd turned away from the spectacle by this point. "Why have you stopped? That was most pleasant."

Sam considered digging his fingers into his ears.

"Later, Cas. Come on, we need your mojo to get us outta here." Dean replied, and his voice sounded rougher than usual.

"But Dean, I promised you I'd repay you for last night with-"

" _Later,_ Cas!" Dean interrupted, and Sam was so glad he didn't hear the end of that sentence. In moments, Cas and Dean awkwardly clambered out of the car, and stood in front of him looking extremely ruffled. Sam tried not to let his gaze linger on the impressive bruise forming on Castiel's throat.

Sam took in a deep breath (he seemed to be taking in a lot of deep breaths lately) and tried to clear his mind as Castiel gave Dean a lingering eye-fuck for good measure. Sam was confused when a singular thought swam into his brain, overwhelming his body and sending a rippling wave of sadness through him:

Gabriel, returning to the car to find it empty, and realising that he was alone in his fabricated world once more.

* * *

"Hey… guys?" Sam began hesitantly, approaching his brother and Castiel with caution, half expecting them to leap on top of each other again. Instead, they sat together on the motel couch, Dean's legs draped over Castiel's lap as he leaned casually back against the arm. At Sam's question, Dean deigned to open one eye and peer up at his brother.

"Hm?" Dean said, and it was clear that was the only response he'd get out of either of them. Castiel was far too busy gazing at Dean like he was the Messiah or whatever.

"I was just… wondering…" Sam paused, rolling the question he wanted to ask around in his mind, trying to phrase it so that neither of them would freak out again. "…since you guys are… y'know, now… I was wondering if you'd still mind telling me what happened when Gabe sent you somewhere and you came back all…" Sam hesitated, risking a glance at Cas, whose attention was fully on Sam now, "wet?"

Dean scowled at Sam and immediately shouted 'no', shutting his eyes again to end the conversation. Sam sighed, and Castiel looked sheepishly up at him for a moment before returning his gaze to Dean.

_Well, worth a shot,_ Sam thought, and hoped the fact that his own brother was refusing to give him information that could potentially give him the upper hand against an Archangel wouldn't cause too many problems.

Besides, Sam had bigger things to worry about. There was a violent spirit haunting the children's hospital in this town.

* * *

Sam cursed himself repeatedly for his foolishness. He'd let himself become emotionally involved in a case  _again_ and now he was paying for it. He really didn't know how other hunters did it; when sweet little Sasha, a red-headed six year old recovering from Appendicitis decided that Sam was the one to trust with her confession that she'd been haunted by an angry ghost in her bed for three nights now, how could he  _not_ become emotionally involved?

But that's the thing about ghosts; they see everything, and Sam  _knew_ that. This damn ghost saw Sam getting chummy with Sasha and decided to use it to his advantage, kidnapping the poor girl and hiding her God knows where so that Sam would be forced to come and look for her. On his own. In the dark, barely used part of the hospital. Without backup.

He hadn't had time to tell Dean and Cas, wherever they'd disappeared off to, he just saw Sasha's empty bed, the signs of a struggle, and knew instinctively what had occurred. Sam clung to his shotgun/flashlight like his life depended on it. Which, he supposed, it probably did. He had no idea where he was by now, the faint noises he was following that sounded far too much like a young girl crying for his liking had led him down twisting corridors, down staircases, through doors. This place was a labyrinth, and he was blind to the Minotaur.

Suddenly, with only a loud crash flying past his ear to warn him, Sam was thrown into the wall with impressive force, his shotgun nearly slipping through his fingers. He felt his bones jarring together as he collided with the concrete and tried not to make more than a small yelp in case Sasha was nearby. Sam got up quickly, ignoring the pain in his shoulder and back, and flashed the light from the torch around the room, trying to see the spirit.

In mere moments he was thrown backwards again, and he couldn't hold on to the gun this time. As he braced himself for the impact, he heard a child scream, and opened his mouth to tell Sasha it was alright, to reassure her, when something tightened around his throat and he was yanked upright, pressed back against the wall so his feet didn't even touch the floor. Sam was completely blind now, without his flashlight he was in complete darkness, and he tried to claw at the hand around his neck, but his fingers passed uselessly through the ghostly flesh of the snarling spirit. He kicked with his legs, and tried to yell for Dean or Cas but no sound came out.

His vision was starting to cloud, making it difficult to think clearly. He remembered he had to stay awake, to save someone, but who? Where was he again? Sam could feel his breath start to leave him, and he fought harder, willing his body to hold on.

A burst of light, so brilliantly white it was almost blue in colour shot through the room, and for a split second, Sam could suddenly see everything. The room was small, clearly abandoned for use long ago, its walls peeling with paint and the remains of an iron bedstead over by the far wall. Sasha was huddled in a corner by a rusty door, her arms clutched around her knees, crying. Sam was being held by the spirit of a hook-nosed man, his yellow teeth bared, pure hatred in his lifeless eyes.

It took Sam mere moments to register this and then he was crumpling to the ground, the spirit bursting into bluish flames before his eyes, his airways suddenly clear. Sam waited for the pounding of blood to cease a little in his head and looked up, trying to find the source of the light, to see what had vanquished the spirit. The room was still faintly glowing, and Sasha's whimpering form caught Sam's immediate attention. Checking quickly for any ghostly activity nearby, Sam crossed the room to her and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. She climbed into his arms like he was a secret hiding place.

"No need to thank me, Chucklebrain." An all-too-familiar voice said loudly, and Sam felt Sasha tensing in his arms. Sam looked up, astounded. Gabriel stood in the centre of the room, casually dusting himself off. He looked up at Sam, smiling a little. "On second thought, maybe we can work out some kind of arrangement." He winked. Of course he winked.

Sam didn't think he could do words right now. What was Gabriel doing here? He literally couldn't fathom what was happening.

"Huh." Gabriel said, his brow creasing and head tilting in faux confusion. He placed his hands on his hips. "Didn't have you down as one to get PTSD, Sammy. Still, best to get you and your latest heartstrings-tugger back upstairs don't you think?"

Gabriel seemed to be waiting for a reply so Sam nodded mutely and tried to stand up, Sasha in his arms, still trembling. Gabriel sighed at Sam's jelly legs and strode over to where he now stood, threading an arm around his waist. Sam looked at him with distrust, but Gabriel just grinned.

"No funny business, Sammy. I just wanna get you back safe and sound." The last thing Sam felt before finding himself standing back in front of Dean and Cas in the brightly lit, bustling hospital was a firm hand gripping him tightly just above his hip, and a puff of warm breath at his collarbone.

* * *

Saying goodbye to Sasha was hard for Sam, but he managed it, getting a kiss on the cheek for 'being a hero and saving me from the beastie'. That part made Sam glow with well-deserved pride, and he lorded it over Dean, who grumbled something about never being appreciated, which Cas then remedied in ways Sam was purposefully trying to block out of his memory. Then things had gotten a little odd: Sasha stood up on her bed (yes, Sam was really that tall) to whisper in his ear:

"Please thank your boyfriend too cause he was very good for saving you and also I like his feathers."

Sam nodded and gave her a confused smile, but left the hospital quickly, trying not to think about the fact that a six year old child had instantly jumped to the conclusion Gabriel was his boyfriend. And did the fact that she 'liked his feathers' mean that she could see his wings? Why couldn't Sam see his wings? Sam felt a little put out by that actually. He might have asked Gabriel about it if the guy hadn't _disappeared_ on him, being nowhere in sight the minute Sam arrived back up in the land of the living. He'd been left to explain to a very confused Dean and Cas what had happened, and they gave each other knowing looks, like they'd seen it all before. It was annoying as hell.

Sam hadn't even tried to sort through his thoughts on  _why_ Gabriel had saved him. He sank into the couch back at the motel, half glad that Dean and Cas had their own room now to do whatever in, but a little lonely too.

He should have known those kinds of feelings were dangerous when you're under an Archangel's supervision. Sam leaned his head back against the cushions and closed his eyes. He was  _aching._ God, that hunt had not done good things for his back, and just after Gabriel had loosened it up too.

Sam chuckled to himself, remembering the massage, a slight flush colouring his cheeks.

_Hey Gabe,_ Sam thought jokily, not really expecting anyone to be listening,  _how about another one?_

"Sure, Sammy. Love to." Gabriel said from Sam's right, and Sam jumped about a mile out of his skin. He opened his eyes quickly and sucked in a breath at what he was seeing. He was in a hot tub. A real, bubbling, steaming hot tub,  _with Gabriel._ They were outside, and Sam could feel the air was cold against his neck and face. He could see for miles around, everything was lush, hilly... isolated. And to make things better, although it was difficult to tell because of the bubbles, he was pretty sure they were both naked.

"What's this, then? Second date?" Sam asked sarcastically, trying not to look over at Gabriel's grinning face.

"If you like." Gabriel replied, his fingers skimming the bubbling water in front of him. "You didn't seem to much care for the first one though…" Gabriel mused thoughtfully, and Sam made the mistake of looking over at him, half convinced he might actually be upset. Then Gabriel smirked again. "…fancy running out on me like that! Not proper date etiquette Sam. You must have been a real heartbreaker in your time."

Gabriel's eyes met his, gleaming, and Sam suddenly found it difficult to look away.

_Must be an Angel thing,_ Sam thought quickly,  _that must be why Dean has such trouble with the staring._

"W-why couldn't I be a heartbreaker now?" Sam asked boldly, sticking his chin out and smiling a little, unable to keep from relaxing in a damn Jacuzzi. Besides, it wasn't like Gabriel was a  _difficult_ guy to talk to. Just annoying.

Gabriel laughed, and Sam realised he liked how it lit up the Angel's face. "No! Of course you could," Gabriel paused here to give the length of Sam's bare torso an appreciative lingering glance, "I just mean that now, you're being courted, so… It's a moot point really."

Sam smiled and shook his head. He was amused and he wasn't sure why. "Well, I'm sorry for running out on you." Sam sighed and closed his eyes, leaning back and rolling his shoulders. He hadn't felt hot tub jets for a long time. "I didn't realise it would affect you so deeply." Sam smirked.

He could feel Gabriel's eyes boring into him again, but he ignored it in favour of feeling the jets of water kneading out the knots in his back. A thought occurred to him as he pondered the reason behind Gabriel's staring. "Gabe, are we naked?"

Gabriel chuckled quietly, and Sam could feel he had moved closer. The thought should alarm him, but he was in the perfect position. He could feel his aching muscles giving way. "I believe so, Sammy. Why? Scared? Ashamed?"

Sam's eyes flew open indignantly, and he sucked in a breath when he saw how close Gabriel was. The Angel was right up against his side, not quite touching, but almost, his elbow resting by Sam's head on the lip of the tub, his face looking casually down into Sam's. Sam swallowed.

"N-no." Sam stuttered, and when Gabriel smiled at the stammer, so did Sam. Gabriel's hand began to dance over the water again, reminding Sam of a  _Gerris remigis,_ a bug he'd learned about in some school or other, that could skim the thin film on top of the water without breaking through. Gabriel's fingers slid just over where Sam's chest lay submerged, and if Sam lifted his body up a little way, those fingers would be skimming his skin. Sam tried not to think about it. "Why did you save me today?" Sam asked suddenly, in an attempt to distract himself.

Gabriel's fingers paused in their tracks. "Oh I'm sorry, did you not want me to?" Gabriel asked, his voice as carefully amused as ever, but Sam noticed a hint of real confusion. Sam  _confused_ Gabriel. Like an enigma. He quite liked that idea really. Gabriel chuckled, and Sam blushed, remembering once again that his thoughts were not private around this guy. "An enigma, huh? Yeah okay, Sammy. My man of mystery." Gabriel laughed again.

Sam frowned up at Gabriel, but he suspected the smile on his face somewhat deflated the effect of his disapproval. "I'm serious. Why?"

"Why? I don't understand, Sammy. You would have died!"

"Yeah!" Sam said, nodding emphatically. "And what's that got to do with you?"

Gabriel looked stunned for a moment, just staring at Sam like he was a puzzle. Sam held his own. "Because you deserve to be saved too, Sam." Sam felt something strange happening in his chest. A sort of twisting and sinking feeling. He hoped he wasn't having a heart attack because it would be too awkward to explain to Dean and Cas that he'd been skinny dipping with Gabriel at the time. "Plus," Gabriel said, leaning away from Sam at last and mirroring Sam's position, staring up at the sky, his head on the rim of the tub, "I kinda like you. You're interesting. And jeez, what a terrible way to go that would have been. Embarrassing."

Sam cast a sideways glance at him. He was never going to understand this guy. And now he owed him his life, apparently. He decided to steer the conversation back to easier territory. "So, why a hot tub?"

Gabriel gave a dramatic shrug and looked over at Sam, their faces far too close to be considered normal. But Sam felt like he shouldn't be the one to have to move. He was the invalid after all. Though now that he thought about it, his aches had faded to an almost unnoticeable tingling. "I figured I'd get you wet, warm, naked and limber, then I'd try and make a move on you."

Sam nodded like he'd expected this kind of answer, and sighed, shaking his head. "Not happening, Gabe."

"Well, your brother seemed to like it in here. So did mine at that. Thought I'd give it a shot." Gabriel replied, and Sam suddenly felt very glad he hadn't been invited to that particular Dean and Cas escapade. "Oh, and thanks by the way."

Sam's brow furrowed, confused. "Huh?"

"I do look gorgeous in that black shirt, but coming from you, it makes it all the better." Gabriel replied, grinning, and before Sam even had time to blush and curse his loud, uncontrollable thoughts, Gabriel was leaning forwards, right into Sam's personal bubble. Sam's eyes flew wide and he began to panic as the thought that Gabriel might be trying to kiss him set in, and even greater panic at the fact he wasn't trying to move away. Then, with a mischievous glint in his eye, Gabriel reached up and tapped a finger to Sam's forehead.

Sam looked around the motel room. He was alone. Completely drenched.  _Fantastic._

* * *

For the next few days, Sam was left alone to contemplate the situation with Gabriel. The Archangel seemed to prefer doing things that way, giving Sam a little rest in between adventures to come to terms with all the sexual harassment and confusing feelings brought about by Gabriel's mind-fucks. So, Sam being one to never look a gift horse in the mouth, went along with it, revelling in the chance to get back to normality after all the crazy. Although he did notice that these 'rest-periods' seemed to be getting shorter. Hmm.

Sam was geared up in his trademark FBI suit, Dean at his side, Castiel waiting obediently in the car after both Sam and Dean had come to a mutual conclusion months ago that Cas, bless him, was no help in the interrogation part of a hunt. The police officer they were currently talking to sat across the desk from them, another jumped up idiot pretending he knew far more than he actually did, because he wanted the FBI to think he was The Man In Charge. If only Sam could tell him it was pointless trying to impress them.

The guy – Sam vaguely remembered his name was Officer Burns – was rambling, meandering around the information they needed because he wanted to give the impression he was well-informed and up to speed about the case they were investigating. Sam could have kicked him.

_Just tell us where the damn guys are buried,_ Sam yelled in his mind, and resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Instead, he opted to let his mind wander, figuring that Dean would pick up anything he missed. His thoughts drifted almost immediately to Gabriel of course, who had caused enough of a rift in Sam's life lately that he currently occupied a hefty chunk of Sam's brain. He remembered being in the hot, bubbling water with Gabriel; staring up at him as he smirked lazily down, eyes flirtatiously darting around the bubbles, and remembering it now Sam could hardly believe how relaxed he'd felt. He guessed it must have been the effect of the Jacuzzi in part, but probably also Gabriel himself. Sam never felt uneasy around the guy, not even intimidated, just ticked off when he did something annoying. In fact, though Sam would never admit this to anyone,  _especially_ not Gabriel (though the guy probably already knew), more often than not Sam found him funny, and enjoyed their heated banter. Sometimes it was a welcome change.

Before Sam could lose himself further in the memory of steam filled gazes and almost-touches of dancing fingers, he felt a firm hand slam down on his shoulder, and jerked a little, realising it was Dean, giving him a pointed look that clearly said 'what the hell are you playing at Sam, we're meant to be FBI, stop your damn daydreaming'. Sam jumped out of his seat and shook Officer Burns's hand, thanking him profusely for his time.

As he exited the Police Station, Sam couldn't help the sly thought wriggling into his mind: where would Gabriel take him next?

* * *

Although Sam had been curious as to where Dean and Cas had gone on several of their 'dates' - as Sam had now taken to calling them – the gay club wasn't one he wanted to experience. Sam supposed, in hindsight, that was probably why Gabriel picked this one to plonk him in the middle of. Sam had actually been in the shower a few seconds ago, which would have made him blush furiously a few weeks ago, but by now he was pretty sure Gabriel had seen him at least partially naked, and since  _Sam_ had definitely seen himself naked, and Gabriel apparently had access to his thoughts… well. Sam had kind of gotten over the whole privacy thing a while back. At least he was fully dressed now, he thought as he patted himself, hands smoothing over the tight black V-neck now covering his torso, teamed with a pair of obnoxiously cool frayed jeans.

Sam steeled himself, and took a good look around. He was seated in a booth, thankfully on his own, although he could spot several predatory looking guys eyeing up the seats next to him and opposite him greedily. Sam carefully made eye contact with none of them and carried on peering around the room, trying to look as if he was searching for someone. The club was basically a dark, wide room, packed with gyrating bodies, all pressed together on the dancefloor in various states of undress. Loud 80's pop music blasted from the speakers, above which a DJ stood in a tight fishnet tank top. Sam was very glad he wasn't on the dancefloor, because he suspected it would be difficult to escape that particular crowd.

He turned his attention back to the immediate area in front of him. If he ventured closer to the edge of the booth, he could see the bar, like a magnet for all the single men in the club, waiting like vultures ready to swoop in and capture their chosen prey. Sam gulped, noticing he was directly in the line of vision of at least four men, each wearing significantly less clothing than Sam himself.

One particularly beefy man in very noticeable purple backless chaps gave him a sly wink. Sam's breath hitched, and all he could think was that this guy winked  _wrong._  It didn't look mischievous and flirty, it just looked scary. He turned back to his table, away from the bar, heart starting to thrum nervously. He drummed his fingers against the wood of the table. Why was he so nervous? It was just a guy. Just a guy who wanted to dress him up in leather and handcuff him to a sex swing and-

_Oh GOD HE'S WALKING OVER HERE. Stay cool Sam, stay cool. You're a hunter, remember? You've tackled way worse._

That thought seemed to immediately disappear out a window in Sam's mind as the guy seated himself opposite him, slamming his hands down on Sam's where they rested on the table before he could even think about moving away. Sam's eyes grew wide, and hecouldn't help thinking:  _where the fuck is Gabriel?_  Wasn't the whole point of these little trips to give them some bonding time?

"Hey, sexy." The guy said in a husky voice, leaning towards Sam over the table. The bare skin of his chest glistened with sweat or oil. Sam tried to lean away, but was yanked forwards by his wrists, caught off guard by the guy's impressive strength. "Where you goin?" The guy asked, sounding menacing now, shifting easily to clasp both of Sam's wrists painfully tight in one hand, and brushing Sam's hair back with the other.

"I-I'm waiting for someone actually-" Sam tried, wishing Dean were here like usual to back him up in the nick of time. God knows where Dean was now. It was just him and this guy, who with every passing second looked more and more like he wanted to eat him. Or fuck him senseless. Or both.

"Shh, shh." They guy interrupted, pressing a finger against Sam's alarmed lips. He leaned in closer, and Sam was very mildly impressed at his ability to get so intimate considering there was a table in between them. He felt the guy's breath hot against his ear and shuddered. "You don't need anyone else, sexy. We're gonna have a good time, you and me."

Sam shut his eyes, willing the world to fall out around him. Maybe he'd slipped in the shower and knocked his head against the shampoo shelf? He wouldn't put it past himself to do something that stupid and embarrassing. This idiot's breathing was shallow and heavy, clearly driven by lust. For a crazy moment Sam remembered Gabriel leaning towards him in a similar way, several times, his breath skimming past in a much more manageable warm, pleasant breeze. Why didn't Sam want to recoil when Gabriel did it?

He felt the man's strong hold on his wrists tighten further, grinding his bones together. Sam gritted his teeth. He felt so useless – and it was ridiculous! He was a hunter! He didn't need rescuing- well. Except for that one time a few days ago, but-

_Wait! That's it!_

Hope flooded Sam's veins and his eyes flew open, making the man opposite pause in his direct swoop to Sam's lips. Sam looked heavenward and  _prayed._ He prayed loudly, drowning out the screeching of Kylie pumping through the speakers.

_Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray to the Archangel GABRIEL TO GET THE FUCK DOWN TO THIS GAY CLUB HE'S SHOVED ME IN AND ACT LIKE HE ACTUALLY_ _**WANTS** _ _TO BE MY DAMN BOYFRIEND. BECAUSE IF THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE AIMING FOR GABE, THIS IS A SHITTY WAY TO DEAL WITH POTENTIAL RIVAL AFFECTIONS._

Anyone else would probably say he must have imagined the sound of wings flapping next to him, but the noise caused a huge grin to split Sam's face, and he looked up, ridiculously happy, to see Gabriel standing beside the table, gazing down at the scene before him, displeased.

"Well, well." Gabriel said, and he sounded wonderfully bitter. "What have we here?"

The man still holding Sam by the wrists and hair scowled, and Sam could have sworn he heard the guy  _growling._ "Back off, man. I was here first."

Gabriel smirked, and Sam stifled a sigh of relief. He almost felt sorry for the guy opposite. Almost. His wrists were beginning to ache.

Gabriel was casual, as usual, but Sam sensed an undercurrent of something seriously pissed off in the Angel's demeanour. He slid in next to Sam on the seat, causing the shirtless guy to bare his teeth in anger, even more so when Gabriel decided to pour petrol on the fire, throwing a possessive arm around Sam's shoulders. Sam had to hide his smirk. The guy looked like he was ready to grind up some Angel chow, but Sam knew Gabe was only getting him riled up as payback for what he'd done. Sam supposed having a personal Archangel had its perks. This is what it would be like if he let Gabriel have his way, he mused.

Although Sam was pretty sure the bones in his wrists had been ground to dust by now, he was rather enjoying Gabriel's payback, and that –  _and only that, mind_  – is the only reason went along with it when Gabriel leaned towards him, and Sam realised he was aiming to press a kiss on his cheek. If he thought Gabe's lips lingered longer than was probably necessary, he chalked it up to making the other dude's blood really boil. Luckily, that was what tipped the iceberg, and the shirtless guy jumped up from his seat, banging a furious fist down on the table.

"What part of  _I GOT HERE FIRST_ do you not understand?!" Gabriel merely sighed, gave the guy a wink (a proper wink this time) and snapped his fingers. The man immediately disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sam gaped a little, his eyebrows shooting skywards of their own accord.

"Woah." He breathed, staring at the space the guy had just vanished. "That was awesome. Where'd you send him?"

When Sam looked around, Gabriel was smiling, leaning back in his the seat. "Oh you know, nowhere special. He's such a predatory little thing, I thought I'd let him get in touch with his _wild_ side."

"C'mon, where?" Sam pressed, trying not to fawn over Gabriel too much, but that whole thing was pretty impressive.

"Not sure of the specifics. Somewhere in the Amazon Rainforest." Gabriel replied, smirking and looking around, trying to sound nonchalant. "I think."

Gabriel grinned at him then, winking, and Sam smiled back, only to be immediately distracted by the intense shock of pain emanating in his wrists. He cradled them in his lap protectively, wincing. "Stupid manhandling bastard." He muttered.

Before he knew it, Gabriel was gingerly taking hold of Sam's wrists and holding them up carefully for inspection. Sam looked on, apprehensive but trusting, and then rolled his eyes when Gabriel placed both hands carefully in his own lap.

"Gabe…" Sam immediately began to move his hands away, but Gabriel shushed him and placed a hand lightly on his elbows to stop him. Sam looked wary, but let him continue. Gabriel closed his eyes, and Sam could see he was concentrating hard. Then the Angel snapped his fingers and the pain was gone. Sam blinked. "W-what…" He flexed his hands experimentally, and shook his head in wonder. "Incredible."

"Gee, thanks cutie." Gabriel grinned, and he was relaxed again, as if nothing at all had just occurred. "So. How about a drink, sexpot?"

Sam rolled his eyes again and was about to decline vehemently, but then he thought – why not? It wasn't like he had any plans that didn't involve trying to block out the sounds of Cas and Dean's rhythmic thumping next door with the crappy motel TV. He shrugged at Gabriel and nodded. The Angel grinned saucily and turned to look at the bar, probably seeing the same thing Sam had: All The Single Men.

"Hmm." Gabriel said, turning back to chew his lip thoughtfully, as though planning a form of attack. "I'd love to do things the more traditional way, Sammy boy, but if you could read the filthy things at least six of those guys are thinking about doing to you if I leave for a damn second, you'd be begging me to stay too." Gabriel looked up at Sam's horrified expression and grinned. "Not that they're wrong of course." Gabriel let his gaze roam freely about Sam's body as though it were welcome. "Who wouldn't want to break off a piece of that given the opportunity?"

Gabriel snapped his fingers again and two ice cold bottles of a foreign beer Sam didn't recognise appeared in front of them on the table. Sam's mouth began to water. It was hot in this damn club.

"So." Sam began, not hesitating to take a long pull from the bottle in front of him, much to Gabriel's delight, it seemed. Sam's eyes widened a little at the strength of the alcohol.  _What the hell is this stuff? Angel beer?_  "What's this new thing about? You only come when I call now?" Gabriel smiled and Sam winced at the double entendre.

"Course not," Gabriel said, turning fully to face Sam, twining his foot around Sam's so that their legs pressed together under the darkness of the table, "I just wanted to hear you call me. I was hoping you would, I wouldn't have been able to stand idly by for much longer when that creep had his hands all over you."

Sam knew he should be annoyed at the blatancy of Gabriel's admission that he had purposefully made Sam call him for help, but it was very dark, and very loud, and Gabriel was very close – it was confusing. Gabriel spoke in a low, deep voice that was starting to creep under Sam's skin, like warm toffee running through his veins.

"Hmm." Was all Sam could think to say in response, and Gabriel seemed to find this amusing, taking a long pull on his own beer. "Why do you like me so much, Gabe?" Sam couldn't help asking. The question had been playing on his mind for a while now, and for some reason this seemed like the perfect time to say it. The rest of the club had faded away a bit, and the neon, garish colours had started to blend together around Gabriel, illuminating him in a Technicolor halo. It was all quite ironic, really. Sam giggled.

"Well, you're smart, sexy, you've got an  _incredible_ ass…" Gabriel was saying, and Sam barely heard it over his own giggling. This beer had more bubbles in than usual, he was sure, and he wanted them to dance on his tongue again. He took another long gulp. "…but aside from the obvious?" Sam looked up into Gabriel's wistful, smiling eyes. "You remind me of… me. But a better me, I guess. One who made better choices even though he disobeyed Daddy. You've been through a lot Sammy, I may know better than most people how much. You should let someone take care of you once in a while."

Sam's mind was  _swimming._ No, no, that wasn't right. His mind was the fish tank. His thoughts were the fishes. Fish. Fishes? It didn't matter. Gabriel was telling him nice things. Lovely things, and he needed to  _listen._ But the fish wouldn't stop swimming, he couldn't make them stay still so he could understand what they meant. He plucked one of Gabriel's words at random out of the swarm, sending the other fish fluttering in different directions.

"You… you think I have an incredible ass?" Sam asked a little drunkenly, grinning at Gabriel like he was his favourite person in the world. Gabriel reached out to steady Sam by his shoulders, chuckling. His touch sent warm pulsations radiating through Sam's body, like waves rippling out in a pond. It felt incredible, and Sam closed his eyes, getting lost in the sensations.

"Lightweight are we? Yeah Sammy, your ass is easily the best I've seen in at least three thousand ye-"

If Gabriel was surprised by Sam leaning forwards and capturing his lips in a kiss, he certainly took it in his stride, smiling a little against Sam's mouth as he kissed back, hands still firmly on the kid's shoulders, stopping him from falling on top of him. Sam was overwhelmed, Gabriel tasted like that delicious beer, and electricity, and the  _sky,_ and Sam was suddenly aware of a deep, profound knowledge in his soul that his very existence, his  _sanity_ depended on threading his arms up to wind his hand into Gabriel's hair and slipping his tongue into the Angel's mouth.

And then he blacked out.

* * *

When Sam opened his eyes he was convinced he was in Heaven. He was in a beautiful king sized bed, smothered in creamy pillows with what felt like an Egyptian cotton sheet over him. There was a mild breeze, but it lifted the thick heat the sun was pouring in from the enormous bay windows covering all sides of the room, and Sam thanked the Lord that wherever he was, there was obviously a window or two open. He rolled onto his back and flung his arms wide, letting himself sink deliciously into the soft, padded cushions underneath him. How was he ever going to find the willpower to move from this bed? He knew very well that there was nothing waiting for him out in the real world that could be any better than this luxury he was currently feeling. He breathed in deeply, smelling clean, fresh air and a hint of fruitiness.

Sam turned his head a little to the left to gaze out of one of the windows. His breath caught at the view; there was an ocean outside! A glittering, cerulean ocean stretching out below, it's sandy shores already attracting a few early-morning beach-goers. Sam watched the rippling waves in awe, it had been so long since he'd felt the salty sea crash against his skin.

He vaguely remembered going to the beach once, long ago, with Dean. He'd taken Sam out of school, told him that he'd explained everything to the Headmaster, but now that Sam thought about it, he was almost sure Dean was lying. Sam had been too young to understand why they'd gone at the time, but he knew now that it was because they were in California while Dad was on the trail of some evil thing, and Dean had known that Dad wouldn't have taken them to the beach. He wouldn't even have thought about it. So it had fallen to Dean to show Sammy the wonders of the waves, and sandcastles, and shell-collecting just like everything else. Sam remembered showing Dean a little hermit crab he'd found and explaining about how they grew out of their shells and moved on when it was time. Dean had said it was stupid, taken the crab from Sam, and hurled it far into the water. Sam thought he might know why now.

It was a rare, nice memory in Sam's mind. Dean hadn't been grumpy, or pretended to be too cool to be seen with Sam, and despite the fact they both got sunburn on their noses and cheeks, and Dad yelled at them for being late when he picked them up, Sam knew it was a good memory for Dean too.

That's why Sam thought it was Heaven. Because your best memories play out in Heaven. And yes, the beach he could see out of the window looked different from the one he'd been to with Dean all that time ago, but from the looks of these palm trees brushing against the pane, he'd say this was probably Hawaii, and he'd wanted to go there since he could remember. He guessed Heaven was accommodating.

So did that mean Gabriel had  _killed_ him? What a jerk! Jeez. Sam tried to remember his last moments in Gabriel's presence. The memory was strangely fuzzy… he remembered the idiot macho-maniac who had given his wrists a good bruising, and Gabriel swooping in to save him at the last second… but then what had happened? Sam shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He realised for the first time that he had a pounding headache.

_Ah, that's probably a clue,_ he thought wryly, admonishing himself for getting drunk enough to forget what had happened. Especially with Gabriel. Not that he should be concerned of course. He would never do anything like  _that_ with Gabe, he was certain. Probably.

Sam decided to get up and search this Heavenly realm for some painkillers. He sat up slowly, careful not to jar his head too much, and felt the familiar hangover-induced nausea swimming in his gut. Sighing, he threw back the sheet, glad to see he was wearing underwear, and got up, padding over to the door of the wide, sparsely decorated room. As he walked, he vaguely remembered Ash telling him when he'd been in Heaven before that you didn't get hangovers in Paradise.

_Hmm,_ Sam thought, brow furrowing a little.  _That does seem a little strange. Maybe it's punishment for all the demon blood and stuff._

Satisfied with that explanation, Sam carried on, finding himself in a large living area of what he now realised must be a house. A holiday house. In Hawaii.  _Nice,_ Sam thought.

There were several long, very art-deco looking sofas in the centre of the room, their creamy cushions looking almost as inviting as the bed Sam had just come out of, but Sam resisted their siren's call. He padded further into the room, feeling the soft, plush carpet push between his toes. Straight ahead there was a set of glass doors, flung open wide, two thin white curtains flapping in the calm breeze. Beyond them there was a balcony, and Sam found himself instantly drawn to it, eager to see an up-close glimpse of the sea not hidden behind glass. His headache forgotten for the moment, he stepped out on to the balcony and breathed in, grinning. The sea was so close now he could smell the salt, and he felt tiny droplets against his face, carried by the wind to where he stood. He leant forwards on the railing and looked out, blissfully happy.

"Oh, babycakes! You're up!"

Sam jumped at the sound of Gabriel's voice behind him, his shoulders tensing and he wasn't sure why. He supposed it might be because of his near-naked state. Then again, being in only boxers around Gabriel was becoming a regular thing. Sam turned to face the intruder on his peace, sighing. Gabriel leant casually against the doorframe, wearing the same thing Sam remembered him arriving to the club in yesterday; a white shirt and frayed jeans, minus the black jacket Sam for some reason felt he knew intimately well. The wispy curtain curled around him like a protective hand, making him appear robed in white. It was all quite ironic really.

"I'm guessing this isn't Heaven then." Sam said, unable to keep from smiling a little at Gabriel's faux indignant reaction.

"I'll have you know your Heaven has me in  _abundance,_ Sammy boy." Gabriel retorted, striding forwards to poke Sam squarely in his bare chest. "Think of all the happy memories I've given you!" Sam sputtered, looking away. "Pretty sure last night made the top ten for you, anyway."

Sam's eyes snapped to Gabriel's, his smile fading fast. "W-what?"

Gabriel's eyebrows rose, and he searched Sam's face suspiciously. "You… don't remember?" Gabriel asked, quietly, eyes still searching, probably checking Sam's memories himself.

"Remember  _what?!"_ Sam cried, suddenly feeling extremely panicked. Oh God, what had he done? He hadn't… with Gabriel… no…

Gabriel smiled and shook his head disbelievingly, taking a step backwards. "Oh, Sammy. Way to make a guy feel special!"

Sam wasted no time, he lunged forwards and grabbed Gabriel by the shoulders, surprised when he found the Angel let him pin him back against the doorframe. "Gabriel!" Sam cried, fully aware he was sounding a little hysterical, but not caring. He was sure his cheeks were bright red, but Gabriel seemed to find the whole endlessly amusing, as ever. "What. Happened." Sam gritted out.

Gabriel sighed, his finger reaching up to trace an idle pattern over Sam's pectoral muscles. Sam shivered. He couldn't even blame it on the cold. Not with that Hawaiian sun blaring down his back.

"Relax Banner. Nothing too incriminating. Just a kiss." Gabriel said, his gaze flicking up from his trailing fingers to Sam's eyes, making him suddenly very aware of how close their faces were. Sam flushed redder.

"A… a kiss?" Sam repeated, feeling very confused. His eyes darted to Gabriel's lips, as though trying to remember what they felt like.

"That's right. You get a little handsy when your drunk." Gabriel said, grinning and sliding his hands round to Sam's waist. "I kinda like it."

"No." Sam said, trying to block out the sensations of Gabriel's hands against his skin.  _How is this guy so good at massaging?_

"No?" Gabriel asked, sounding even more amused.

"No. I wouldn't… I would never… I didn't…" Sam tried to say, unable to spit the words out.

"You think I'm lying?" Gabriel asked, and from the pure entertainment in his voice Sam almost wished he could take it back. Instead, he nodded, unable to let himself just take it at face value that he kissed Gabriel last night.

Gabriel chuckled and leaned forwards suddenly, his lips almost connecting with Sam's. Sam reared back, but it took a few seconds to catch up. "Hmm. Well, let's take a look shall we?" Gabriel said, smiling.

It took another one of Gabriel's trademark finger snaps, and then Sam's mind was clear. The headache was long gone, the nausea non-existent – in fact, he felt better than he had in days. He blinked a few times, adjusting, and then the memories swarmed. They flooded his brain in a cavalry attack for which Sam was completely unprepared. He remembered the strange taste of the beer, Gabriel grinning and holding him upright, whispering in his ear, curling his fingers in tendrils of his sandy brown hair…

_Oh God. I did. I kissed him._

Sam looked down at Gabriel in horror, finding the Angel still in the same position, now with a significantly more smug expression on his face. Sam leapt backwards, colliding with the opposite doorframe, the curtain pinned behind him as he tried to melt back into the plaster.

"You'll be happy to know I was a complete gentleman and took you back home safe and sound - without laying a _finger_  on your sweet little hiney." Gabriel said, looking unfazed by Sam's peculiar reaction.

"What the- Gabriel! Where even  _are_ we?!" Sam cried, resisting the urge to bury his face in the nearest available surface and scream. Gabriel's face fell a little. It was almost imperceptible. "It's your fault, anyway! You… you  _drugged_ me! You  _rufied me!"_

Gabriel looked genuinely insulted by that accusation. "Hey! I did not! I don't have to use  _rohypnol_ to get my kicks Sammy, come on now, that hurts. It's not my fault if you can't handle your drink-"

"Oh, so it was just normal beer you gave me then, right?" Sam asked, sarcasm pouring out of every word.

"Well… no, I'll admit my tastes are a little specialist…" Gabriel replied, a touch sheepishly, lifting a hand and rubbing it behind his neck.

"Specialist?! What percentage was that, Gabe? No, screw that, what was  _in_ that stuff cause it sure as hell wasn't just alcohol!"

"Look, okay, maybe I should have warned you it was strong, I forget that Angels can take a hell of a lot more than you pipsqueaks-"

"Your damn right you should have warned me, cause I sure as hell didn't want my night to end with  _kissing_  you!" Sam yelled into the calm, tropical air. The shout felt out of place and Sam immediately regretted it. Gabriel cocked his head a little, his eyes narrowed an immeasurable amount.

Sam wanted to say he didn't mean it, but what did that mean? Why didn't he mean it? He hadn't prayed to Gabriel yesterday with the intention of tonguing him, so why did it feel like he'd just yelled a great big lie into the salty sea air? Sam wished, almost prayed that Gabriel would say something. Something witty, something annoying something  _stupid_ so they could go back to their weird love/hate relationship he suddenly realised he kind of liked. What was Gabriel thinking right now, with his cocked head and searching eyes? This mind-reading thing was a one-way deal and it wasn't fair.

Sam's mind was buzzing with all the new information he'd received in the last ten minutes. It was way too much to process at once. He let out a breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding and slumped against the doorframe, letting the curtain escape from behind him and flutter in the warm air. "Take me home, Gabe." Sam said, resigned. Gabriel didn't comment.

* * *

Okay, maybe the guy was a little hurt by Sam's thoughtless words, but still. He could have had the decency to put Sam back into his  _own_ room with a snap of his fingers, because suddenly appearing in front of a couch where your brother is straddling the lap of an Angel, kissing him furiously and  _moaning_ like a goddamn porn star was something Sam did not need to happen right at that moment.

"Ew, GUYS!" Sam yelled, announcing his presence and slapping a hand over his eyes.

"Sam! What the hell, man!" Dean yelled back, dismounting from Cas and sitting back on the couch.

"Hello, Sam." Castiel said calmly, making no attempt to straighten his rumpled trenchcoat which was now half hanging off him.

"Hey, Cas." Sam replied politely, wincing as images flashed through his mind again. He guessed he was going to need to get used to this. "Sorry guys, Gabe just put me here-"

"Ugh, I am so  _sick_ of that feathery asshole!" Dean cried, clearly annoyed at having been interrupted mid-session.

"Hey, lay off. He's not that bad." Sam said almost absently, frowning down at his newly-clothed self in confusion, and Dean spluttered.

"I'm sorry,  _lay off?!_  Since  _when,_ Sam? You used to hate him more than I did!" Dean practically yelled, sounding genuinely appalled.

"Well… no, it's just…" Sam trailed off, not sure how to explain, or even why he wanted to. "…I dunno. I guess he just has our best interests at heart. Usually." Sam's brow creased a little. "Plus he's kind of a laugh. I think you'd like him if you got to know him, Dean."

"If I got to  _know him?!"_ Dean repeated, sounding incredulous. "I'm fine. Thanks. I'll leave you to do the buddying up with the Dr Sexy wannabe." Dean said, turning back to Cas, who was frowning.

"Yeah, you're one to talk." Sam mumbled bitterly, but Dean didn't catch it.

"Dean, I have to agree with Sam, I think you're allowing your past experiences with Gabriel to alter your perception of him." Castiel said, his gravelly tone demanding attention from the whole room. Dean's eyebrows raised. "And he is my brother. I do love him."

"You can't be serious, Cas. The guy's a nutjob-" Dean started to say, but Castiel pressed three fingers to his lips, silencing him. The Angel looked up at Sam, who was chewing his lip, distractedly.

"Sam, if it's alright with you, I would like to have a word with Dean alone." Castiel said, sounding earnest. Sam suddenly remembered what he had just interrupted moments before.

"Oh, right, yeah, of course, sorry-"

"And then if at all possible, I would like to have a word with you. Also in private." Castiel continued as if Sam had not spoken. Sam looked surprised, but nodded his affirmative response. Dean was starting to look pissed off; Sam wondered if he'd bite Castiel's fingers.

"See you in a moment, Sam." Castiel said, and no sooner was Castiel getting up to tap his forehead, Sam was back in his own room.

* * *

 

Sam was playing solitaire on his laptop when Castiel arrived. He'd tried just sitting and waiting for him, but thoughts kept creeping into his mind that he didn't want to think about, and he needed to distract himself.

"Hello, Sam." Castiel said as usual, and Sam shut his screen, turning to face the Angel. Sam nodded at him and smiled. "I'm sorry for being so cryptic, Sam. I wouldn't normally say anything in front of either of you or Dean that the other couldn't be witness to, but in this case, I think you need some time to digest information separately."

Sam nodded, pretty sure he understood. Castiel must know that whatever he was about to talk to Sam about would probably reach Dean's ears eventually. He must just want to prolong that.

"While I would never usually interfere in matters such as this, I feel it is important to tell you certain things, as I am perhaps privy to information that you might not be. And I care about my brother. He is a difficult person to understand. But I believe he feels the same way about you."

Sam gaped. Castiel wanted to discuss Gabriel? Was this actually happening? More importantly, was this wise?

"I don't… um…" Sam began, not really knowing where he was going with that sentence.

"Gabriel recently told me he doesn't believe in soulmates, despite there being astounding evidence to prove their existence – namely that soulmates are allowed to share a space in Heaven." Sam tried to follow where Castiel was going with this. "Why do you suppose my brother…" Castiel's lips twitched a little in an almost smile. "…'harasses' you so?"

"Because he enjoys making me miserable?" Sam guessed, giving up on following the conversation anymore. Castiel actually laughed. Sam tried not to be scared at the sight of it.

"I suppose it's not an unlikely assumption. But no, Sam. He confided to me that he finds you interesting, and that you regularly surprise him. He confessed that you remind him of himself. It wouldn't surprise me if he felt overly protective of you for this very reason, Sam."

Sam was about to protest, to jump up from his seat on the bed and tell Castiel that this was utterly ridiculous, he was making it sound like Gabriel was in  _love_ with him or something- but at that moment, a thought flew into Sam's brain. A memory actually, of Gabriel saying something remarkably similar just last night, right before Sam had… well. No need to go into that.

But Gabriel had said practically that, hadn't he? What was it…  _'You remind me of… me. But a better me, I guess. One who made better choices even though he disobeyed Daddy. You've been through a lot Sammy, I may know better than most people how much. You should let someone take care of you once in a while.'_

Sam looked back up at Castiel, and knew the Angel was well aware of his thought process.

"So… what are you saying… that Gabriel… are you saying Gabriel…?" Sam seemed not to be able to finish his sentences today.

"I believe Gabriel is not fully aware of his current feelings." Castiel said enigmatically, giving Sam a small smile. Sam just blinked wearily, tired of these conflicting thoughts.

"What... Why... Why did he take me to Hawaii?" Sam asked, picking this question randomly out of the hundreds in his mind.

Castiel frowned. "Hawaii? Is that where he resides? Nobody has ever known his permanent state of residence, or if he even had one. I suspect if he took you there, you would be the first."

Sam's face fell. It was almost imperceptible, and Castiel didn't see.

"I'm going to get Dean now. I believe he might want to talk to you as well." Sam heard Castiel say, and then the Angel was gone.

Sam flopped back onto the bed. He was only mildly less confused now. What was Castiel saying? That Gabriel wasn't just out to sleep with him? That he might actually care for Sam? Like, care  _a lot?_  That was crazy, surely! Gabriel cared about Gabriel. That was how he'd lived his life for however many millions of years, it was obvious.

But now that Sam thought about it, Gabriel did seem to act differently around Sam. The Mystery Spot was a hell of a long way to go out of your daily routine just to teach some random guy a lesson about being too emotionally needy with his brother. And hadn't Gabriel already experienced the pain of losing a close brother first hand? Two in fact? As cruel as it had seemed at the time, perhaps in his own way, Gabriel was trying to spare Sam some of the pain, by desensitising him to Dean's death. It was a stupid plan of course, because Sam would never be 'desensitised' to Dean dying before his eyes, but how was Gabriel to know?

And the thing Castiel had said about him being 'overly-protective'. It seemed unlikely, but how else could Sam explain him coming to the rescue during that hunt in the children's hospital the other week?

' _You should let someone take care of you once in a while.'_

_Maybe Gabriel is doing for me what nobody thought to do for him. That's big, man._

Sam tried not to think about the kiss, but now that Gabriel had turned up the contrast on Sam's memories of that night, it was hard not to. Gabe had been thorough in returning those lost memories. Sam remembered things he probably wouldn't have done otherwise – the spicy, exotic smell radiating from Gabriel's skin as he leaned in close; the sandpaper prickle of stubble sliding across his chin; the warm, wet pressure of Gabriel's smiling lips against his; the rough, stiff material of Gabriel's jacket collar as he smoothed his hands over the Angel's shoulders; the strength he used to pull Gabriel in to him, though of course Gabe was letting him take control. That thought in itself scared Sam; why did Gabriel let Sam do all that? I mean sure, he was always joking about getting Sam into bed, but why would he  _really_ want to? He was a Trickster Archangel! He could quite literally have anyone at the snap of his fingers.

"Shift over, Sammy I gotta lay down." Dean said out of nowhere, and Sam had almost forgotten he was coming. Sam shifted over on the bed, sighing, and wondered what Dean could possibly have to say to him. He felt a little like he was at an Intervention. Considering the last one had been when he was drinking demon blood and Dean had locked him in Bobby's panic room, it was fair to say Sam was a little apprehensive about what was about to happen.

Dean sprawled out next to Sam, his left arm flung deliberately over Sam's face, making Sam moan and curse him. Dean chuckled. Then he sighed. "So Cas tells me I've gotta talk to you about Gabriel."

Sam sighed and squirmed, already uncomfortable with this conversation.

"Look, dude, I'm not gonna go on and on about this the way I  _know_ Cas must have. He's gorgeous but he can't half talk when he sets his mind to it." Dean said fondly. Sam raised his eyebrows, still staring at the ceiling. "So. Cas told me all this shit about Gabriel, and, yeah, I guess maybe – and don't go getting all big-headed – you were right. He's probably not such a bad guy. He's keeping Lucifer away from you and that's damn decent of him."

Sam turned his head towards Dean, eyebrows scrunched together. What? Keeping Lucifer away? What was Dean talking about? Sam ran through his mind to the last time he and Lucifer had had a chat. It must have been at least a month ago, probably more, long before this whole mess started, when Lucifer had visited him in a dream, disguising himself as Jess.

Ugh, how had he been so stupid?! Gabriel had been protecting him this whole time?! Why hadn't he noticed?

"He kept Lucifer away…" Sam repeated, dumbfounded, and Dean looked surprised.

"Yeah, no shit Sammy." Dean replied. "That makes him a-okay in my book. So I got one basic thing to say before I get back to my  _rudely interrupted_ make out session…" Sam waited, taking in Dean's mischievous grin with apprehension. "…dude, Angels are  _awesome."_ Sam's eyebrows shot up. "They don't get tired, they can fly you places, you can make them order extra pie and you can eat it cause they don't need to!"

Okay, of all the things Sam expected Dean to say, this was not one of them. His eyebrows continued to creep up his face. "Um…"

"And, I'm only gonna say this once Sammy, cause it's  _you,_ and it's weird, but Angel sex is beyond crazy, man. Must be a bitch to be cooped up in Heaven for zillions of years and not allowed to get any. Repression, I tell you, it does wonders for your sex drive."

"Dean, I really don't wanna hear-" Sam started to say, cringing away from his brother's enthusiastic ramblings.

"Look, whatever, I won't spoil the surprise." Dean interrupted, chuckling at Sam's reaction. "Point is, there is no reason to break this poor guy's heart just cause he can be a bit of a diva and he's a little… tactile in his affections." Sam stared at Dean incredulously.  _Break his heart? What?_ "Not when there are so many perks, right?" Dean said, winking, and making sure he gave Sam a sharp nudge in the ribs for good measure, he stood up and crossed to the door, leaving Sam alone with his thoughts.

* * *

"I-I… I, Sam Winchester…" Sam sighed, his clasped hands collapsing in his lap. "…I can't believe I'm doing this. Gabe? You getting this? You've probably blocked my number, huh?" Sam sighed again, slumping in his chair. "I'm… I'm sorry about the uh… the thing I said. I guess I wasn't really… thinking about what all this stuff you're doing actually… meant, y'know?"

There was no materialisation of any Archangels, so Sam guessed he was going to need to plough on. Even if Gabriel wasn't listening, it felt good to talk about his feelings out loud.

"I don't know why, but I've been kind of slow on the uptake recently. I think it's  _you_  actually. You're so confusing." Sam smiled a little, and closed his eyes, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "You're like this huge tornado of fake worlds and disguises and impossible things, and I'm a realist man, I can't keep up with everything. I didn't get it, Cas literally had to sit me down and spell it out for me… but I think now… well. You'd probably never admit it, but I think you've started to like me a bit." Sam's smile grew wider, picturing Gabriel's indignant reaction. "Whatever man, I'm not gonna make this all schmaltzy, but if you meant any of that really gay crap you said to me last night, then I take it all back about the err… kissing." Sam cringed a little at the last word, but he spat it out nonetheless.

"I would have thought the kissing was more 'really gay' than the stuff I was spewing, babydoll." A voice said from nearby. Sam's breath hitched and he opened his eyes slowly, fearing the worst - namely, fearing a furious Archangel.

Gabriel was leaning against the table at which Sam was sat, casually gazing down at him. "Hey." Sam said, relief flooding through him.

"What, no comeback? No witty remark? I'm surprised at you, Sam." Gabriel said, smiling a little, folding his arms. Sam couldn't help smiling back.

"Well, you've kind of got me there to be fair. Kissing a guy is pretty much the definition of gay." Sam replied, trying to look sincere.

Gabriel grinned. "Technically I'm not a guy, babe. Angels don't have a gender."

Sam may have come to terms with a lot today, and for that he was proud of himself, but Gabriel being genderless was too much to cope with. He decided to ignore it for now. Gabriel chuckled and Sam knew he'd followed that train of thought.

"So, um. Do you accept my apology?" Sam asked, suddenly feeling unbelievably awkward about everything he'd just said. He found he couldn't even look at Gabriel.

"Hmmm... Nah. You hurt me bad, Sammy. Real bad. You're gonna have to make it up to me, I'm afraid." Gabriel replied, amusement and innuendo dripping off of every syllable.

Sam's eyes snapped up, suddenly annoyed. "Oh, really?" He asked, standing up and folding his arms. "What would you suggest, Gabe?"

Gabriel grinned and raised his eyebrows, then beckoned to Sam with a single finger. Sam walked forwards a little, apprehensive, but aware he was in debt to the guy. Gabe leaned forwards, stretching onto his tiptoes to whisper in Sam's ear. "How about you return that massage?"

Sam's eyes widened and he jerked back, only to be held in place by Gabriel's fingers wound tightly in his flannel shirt. His heart was suddenly pounding, and he was sure it hadn't been just moments before. He unfolded his arms, suddenly feeling ridiculous, and tried to resist the urge to slide his hands underneath Gabriel's t-shirt. "I-I can't… I don't have any… oil." Sam replied lamely, and really, he could have come up with a better excuse. This was an Archangel inches away from him.

"Ah. Problematic. Hmm... well, Sam?" Gabriel asked, his lips so close to Sam's that he could feel the vibrations.

"Mmhmm?" Sam replied, trying not to sway forwards.

"You remember how you said you wanted to take back what you said about kissing me?"

Sam felt himself grow hot, and tried to pull away out of the embarrassment at remembering, but Gabriel's hold was firm, and it only made the Angel change positions, sitting up on the table now and looping his legs around Sam's waist, yanking him in. Sam sucked in a breath, but nodded.

"Does that mean I might be able to squeeze another one out of you?" Gabriel continued, squeezing his legs - which were currently wrapped around Sam - to emphasise his words, grinding their hips together.

Sam gasped, his hands clutching at Gabriel's shoulders as sensations pooled in his groin at the friction. Sam allowed his eyes to flick back up to Gabriel's. The Angel's eyes were glinting, a question still sparkling in their depths. Without allowing himself to think, Sam closed the distance between them, pressing his lips against Gabriel's. He felt Gabriel smile against him again, and decided in that moment that it was his favourite feeling in the world. He tasted exactly how he remembered (minus the beer) and at the same time, so much better. Sam felt himself being pulled in, arms wrapping around his waist, but he didn't care, he just wanted to push further. He ran his tongue lightly along Gabriel's lower lip and snaked an arm all the way round his neck. Gabriel opened his mouth a little way and Sam slipped his tongue inside, pushing his hips forwards as the wet warmth enveloped his senses. He felt Gabriel bite his lip and he yelped a little, breaking contact and meeting mischievous eyes.

"Sorry, Sammy. Couldn't help myself." Gabriel pressed another short kiss to Sam's shocked mouth. "You're delicious."

Gabriel snapped his fingers and a bottle appeared in his hand. He brought it in front of Sam's face so he could see.

_Massage oil,_ Sam read to himself.  _Oh God._

"You found some." Sam said weakly. _Should I be concerned? If Gabriel bites during kissing, who the hell knows what he's like during sex?_

"Don't pretend you don't wanna find out, Sam." Gabriel said in answer to Sam's thoughts, and he was grinning madly, like usual. "Fancy a trip to Hawaii?"

Sam bit his lip, running his tongue over where Gabriel had nipped it. He thought he tasted blood. Gabriel wrapped his legs tighter around Sam's waist, and Sam looked down into his heavy, lust-filled eyes. Who was he kidding? Of course he wanted to find out. "Hell yes." Sam replied.

Gabriel grinned, and snapped his fingers.

* * *

Waking up with Gabriel's fingers drumming power ballads onto his chest was still extremely strange for Sam, but he found he didn't mind too much ...for some reason. He assumed Gabe didn't mind it either, because even though the poor guy didn't sleep, he lay faithfully at Sam's side all night, amusing himself by braiding Sam's hair, drawing a moustache on his face, or one extremely memorable time, burning an imprint of his hand onto Sam's ass.

_"What the hell, Gabriel?!"_

_"What?"_

_"There's a friggin HANDPRINT on my ass!"_

_"Yeah..."_

_"WHY?!"_

_"Oh, I see. Cas gets to mark his territory with a handprint but when I_ _do it it's_   _UNFORGIVABLE!"_

_"Cas did not drag Dean up from Hell by his ASS, Gabe!"_

_"That's not what I hear..."_

_"Gabe! Just take it off! Now! You can put it on my shoulder if you really want to but that's IT."_

_"Fine. God, Sammy you're so boring."_

_..._

_"This is the part of you that I would stake a claim on though, to be fair..."_

_"GABRIEL."_

Sam was certainly fond of his new digs. Gabriel insisted it was a coincidence that he lived in Hawaii and Sam had always wanted to go there. Proof that they were soulmates or some ridiculous cheesy notion like that. Sam tended not to listen. Gabriel was easily distracted, Sam just had to reach for the massage oil.

* * *

Sam was exhausted, how did Gabriel not get tired? He clutched the Angel as tightly as he could even so, running a shaky hand down his spine. It didn't matter if you were tired, in pain, angry, hungry, miserable - Angel sex was always awesome. Dean had been right on that front, although Sam suspected Archangel sex was even better. Gabriel didn't stop, his mouth working on an impressive hickey on Sam's neck. Sam shivered as Gabriel's tongue laved the bruised, sensitive area where he'd been sucking, and tried to roll them over, failing hopelessly against Gabriel's super strength.

"Gabe...  _Gabe_..." Sam whispered weakly into the darkness.

Gabriel sat back, his lips making a smacking sound as they left Sam's throat. He was smiling, hopelessly proud of his ever-present ability to turn Sam into a trembling wreck. "Yeah, Sammy?" Gabriel asked, running his still oil-slicked hands over Sam's chest and leaning in close.

Sam stared up at him for a long time, watching Gabriel scrutinise him. He couldn't remember being more happy than this really, and that was stupid because it was the goddamn apocalypse, and they still had no friggin' idea how to stop the Devil, but Dean was safe and happy, he had Cas, and Sam was pretty sure those two were actually born with their souls intertwined. And now he had Gabe. And that was a hell of a fucked up situation, and Sam was not yet convinced they were soulmates in any shape or form, but Gabriel kept trying to convince him, and Sam was fine with that, because it meant he'd given the guy faith again.

Him, Sam Winchester, the guy who managed to make all the wrong decisions and accidentally pull the pin on the grenade that's gonna blow up the world. He'd given the Archangel Gabriel reason to believe in his Father's plan again. That meant everything to Sam. And he would make every wrong decision again if it led him right here.

"N-nothing." Sam whispered, reaching up to trail a knuckle across Gabriel's cheekbone.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes, but leaned down and kissed him, his lips still tasting like the salt from the sea they'd gone in earlier that day. Sam had made him go and retrieve Dean and Cas, because he wanted Dean to remember with him, which of course he pretended not to, but did.

"Love you, Sammy." Gabriel mumbled against his lips, and in their own world, somewhere off the map in goddamn  _Hawaii,_ Sam had no trouble saying it back.

 


End file.
